


And So it Goes

by ChiiwiFruit



Category: CLAMP - Works, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairytale, Alternate Universe - Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen, Angst, Bittersweet, Fake Blood, Fluff, Found Family, Grief, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Mario Party Crossover, Multi, Optimism, Romance, Some goofiness because it's me, Spoopy Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 33,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23948194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiiwiFruit/pseuds/ChiiwiFruit
Summary: A collection of one shots in celebration of Tsubasa Chronicle Month over on Tumblr.
Relationships: Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane, Sakura | Tsubasa Clone/Syaoran | Li Tsubasa Clone, Sakura | Tsubasa/Syaoran | Li Tsubasa
Comments: 112
Kudos: 69





	1. Fai

Fai never thought he would find his place in the world.

There had been a time when he was a child, back when he had believed he could save his brother, that he had thought that he and Fai could make a home for themselves somewhere. But even then, in his heart he knew that they would never truly belong.

They were twins.

Twins were damned.

Twins brought misfortune to everyone around them.

No matter where they went, they would still be twins. But Fai had hoped they would find something better than that frozen valley in Valeria.

Now he had. Despite everything Fai ever thought, he found his home. It wasn’t a place, but a group of people. Kurogane. Syaoran. Mokona. Fai belonged wherever they were.

Princess Sakura was part of his home, but she wasn’t able to travel with them. All of them together in Clow Country on the rare occasions Mokona brought them there was always best. It didn’t happen often enough.

He wished his brother Fai hadn’t died and that they could have gone on the journey together. Not just because he loved and missed Fai, which was true. But because his brother died without experiencing happy things. While he had come to accept his brother’s death, guilt and grief always swamped him when he thought of how his brother had lived and died cold, miserable, and alone.

A large hand squeezed his brother. Fai broke from his thoughts with a start, and looked up. Kurogane was looking down at him with a frown that Fai recognized as concern. “You’re too deep in your head,” Kurogane said. He knew the dark places Fai’s mind went when he was left alone too long.

Fai covered Kurogane’s fingers with his own, grateful for the contact. He waited while Kurogane lowered himself to sit next to Fai.

“I was thinking about Fai,” he admitted. Kurogane nodded, unsurprised. Well, he’d probably suspected as much. Fai kicked his bare feet in the water, which was cool and super clear. Fai could see the sand and stones at the bottom. He gestured to it. “He never got to see anything as beautiful as this.”

And it was a beautiful world. The dock where Fai and Kurogane were sitting jutted out into a small cove lined with stretches of white sand beaches. The sun was shining now, but it had been misting rain earlier and the dock was still damp. Past the beaches were vibrant green leaves from the nearby trees, and clusters of small whitewashed houses with brightly-painted roofs.

It was a lovely little town. Fai liked it.

Kurogane’s arm was warm against Fai’s, and it made Fai’s longing for his brother a bit less acute. His silence was attentive and invited Fai to continue speaking.

“I just wish that he and I could have gone together. That he could have met kind people, made friends, found someone he loved...” Fai’s voice cracked, and he had to swipe moisture from his eyes.

“He loved you,” Kurogane said, his voice gentle. For such a formidable man, he had unexpected depths of kindness.

Fai blew out a breath. “Yeah, he did.”

“And you loved him.”

“Yes. Always.”

Kurogane draped his arm over Fai’s shoulders and squeezed. “He deserved better. So did you. He didn’t get to live to see better. But we’ve seen that people reincarnate through the worlds. Maybe not everyone.” Kurogane shrugged. “I don’t know. But if you guys do, maybe the next time around will be better.”

Fai watched the sunlight glint off the waves and turned his head slightly. Syaoran had come down to the beach with Mokona on his shoulders. As Fai watched, Syaoran discarded his shoes and waded into the surf. Mokona hopped into the shallows with a plop and a splash.

Syaoran’s laughter was like a balm on Fai’s heart.

“That doesn’t help with now,” he finally replied to Kurogane. But he couldn’t help but smile a little as Syaoran swooped down to rescue Mokona from being carried off by a big wave.

“I can’t do anything about now,” Kurogane replied. “Other than hold your hand, and tell you to knock it off when you get dumb.”

“Well, I suppose that will have to do,” Fai said with a fake sigh and a smile.

Kurogane tried to push him into the ocean.

“No, Kuro-sama! I was teasing!” Fai protested, laughing. “I’m sorry. I’m truly grateful. Promise!”

It seemed Kurogane had mercy after all, because he stopped. “Hmph. Let’s go see what the kid found.” His steps were silent as he walked back up to dock to the beach where Syaoran was poking a mound of seaweed with a stick. Fai watched for a moment, fondness for his friends making his grief easier to bear. Then he got up and ran to catch up to Kurogane, lacing their fingers together.


	2. Kurogane

There was never any telling where the white meat bun would drop them each time they moved to another world. Sometimes it was a world they had been to before, but far more often it was a world that was completely unfamiliar. Kurogane had long since stopped trying to find a pattern and accepted that the when and where would be a mystery until they arrived. However, this time when the cloud of white feathers lifted, the familiar outline of Shirasaki Castle in Japan rose up above them.

Tomoyo no longer had the ability to foretell the future in her dreams, but you’d never guess with how fast she sent out a delegation to greet them and escort them to the castle. And she greeted him warmly, with a smile. “Welcome home, Kurogane,” she said. “It’s good to see you, Fai-san, Syaoran-san, Mokona.”

“I’m home, Tomoyo,” Kurogane replied. Tomoyo had aged since they had last been back. Time flowed differently between the worlds, and sometimes the parting was longer for him than it was for her. It seemed to be the opposite this time around.

Mokona bounced up to greet the princess, but Kurogane held back until everyone else had greeted her and an attendant was drawing them into another room for refreshments.

“What is troubling you, Kurogane?” Tomoyo asked. She could see through him as easily as ever, foresight or not. At least she was still tiny. She had to crane her neck up to look at him.

“It’s been a while since I last paid my respects,” Kurogane said after a moment of silence. “Do you mind?”

She smiled at him with perfect understanding. “Of course not. I will explain to your companions. Do give my regards to your parents for me.”

Kurogane inclined his head in the slight bow that Souma hated because she deemed it not respectful enough. Then he left through a side door. He knew he could have talked to the others about this, and the mage in particular might be angry that he didn’t. But they might insist on accompanying him, and there were some things that a man had to do by himself.

His mother’s grave wasn’t far. Tomoyo had arranged for her to be buried with the highest honours that she could talk her elder sister into. The grave was spotless, with fresh flowers in a blown glass vase. Kurogane knelt before it, his hands on his knees. Even now, Tomoyo never forgot to make sure there were flowers. It was no wonder she had won his loyalty despite the wild card he’d been in his youth.

“I’m home, Mother, Father,” Kurogane said. He lit a stick of incense for each of his parents and placed them in the holder Tomoyo kept there. His father hadn’t had a body to bury, but Kurogane always spoke to his mother’s grave as though his father was there as well. That habit hadn’t changed even now that he knew Ginryu had never been buried with her. His father would not have left his mother. They would be together in the afterlife. If his words reached his mother, they would reach his father as well. “I’m doing well, though I’m a bit different than the last time I came.” He touched his hand to the shoulder of his artificial arm. It didn’t feel like a real arm. It was too hard and rigid, and not always flexible in the ways he needed. But it did its job well enough, even though it often hurt.

“A lot of things have changed. I bet you didn’t think your son would be living a life like this, moving between worlds at the whim of a sentient meat bun. Or maybe you did, Mother, since you always knew more than you let on.” But she hadn’t seen her death coming. Of that, Kurogane was certain.

“And I’m weaker in some ways.” Again he rubbed the artificial arm. “But I’m much stronger in others. I’m gonna protect the things I want to protect, the way I failed to protect you. That means I can’t come visit you often anymore. I know Tomoyo takes good care of you while I’m away.”

Kurogane dropped into silence. He hoped his parents would be proud of the man he had become. He hoped they would be happy that he’d found someone to dedicate his life to. But they were dead, and he couldn’t ask them or introduce them to the people who mattered most. But he had avenged his mother. She had the justice she deserved.

He sat there for several long minutes in silence, wishing he had some sake to drink a toast to his parents. Then he sighed, bowed, and left without another word.

Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye to them out loud.

The others were still gathered around a table eating and drinking when he returned. “Welcome back, Kuro-sama!” the mage crowed, already mostly drunk. Kurogane snatched the sake bottle Fai was waving around and found a cushion to sit on. He poured himself a glass, and kept the remainder of the bottle out of Mokona’s greedy paws.

“Did you finish what you needed to do?” the kid asked. He had such serious brown eyes for a kid. Kurogane couldn’t blame him. He’d always had eyes like that too. Eyes that had seen too much for their age.

“Yeah, I did,” Kurogane said. He managed a small smile for the kid.

Tomoyo smiled at him from the other side of the table.

“Thanks,” he told her.

If the princess from Clow Country could have been here, it would have been perfect. All his most important people in one room. Having the other kid and other princess here would be even better. But that was impossible.

Kurogane drained his glass. “Oi, quit it!” he snapped at Mokona as she minced up to the bottle. He pinned her to the table with a hand, and she squealed.

“Kurogane’s a barbarian!”

“I’ll show you a barbarian-!”


	3. Syaoran

Some days the guilt and grief were so intense that Syaoran couldn’t stand it.

Night was the worst. There was nothing to distract him. No chatter from his companions to engage in. No tasks to complete. Sometimes he was okay, he tried so hard to be, but sometimes he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t breathe, from the storm of emotions that threatened to crush him.

He had lost so much. His father. His mother. His home. His place in the world. His clone, who had become his father, but still felt like a separate failure.

He’d lost Sakura, but had gotten her back. Even though they were apart, she was alive. He could see her. He had no control over when, and that hurt. He couldn’t even comfort himself with thoughts that they were looking at the same sky, or the same moon. This sky was dark magenta and had three moons, which was nothing like Clow Country at all.

He had lost his freedom. He had gotten it back, but only after suffering seven years of captivity by a man who wanted to hurt the person he loved more than anyone or anything else in the world. The person he had sworn to protect with the last breath in his body. He hadn’t been able to do anything but watch through someone else’s eye and replay the decisions that had led him there over and over in his mind. He had thought, obsessively, that he had to save Sakura. He couldn’t fail. It couldn’t be for nothing. His suffering. The other Syaoran’s suffering. And Kimihiro...

Kimihiro was the one thing he didn’t regret. It was his mistake that brought Kimihiro into existence. A shared existence. And it had brought Kimihiro suffering, but Syaoran was glad he was alive. He hadn’t wanted Kimihiro to disappear.

“Syaoran? Are you all right?”

Syaoran realized that he was doubled over in bed, both hands clenched into his hair.

Mokona slept with him most nights for just this reason.

She wiggled her way between his arms and his chest. A warm, reassuring shape with a steady heartbeat that beat a different rhythm from his own, but was nonetheless soothing.

“It’s okay. Mokona’s here,” she said, reaching up one of her nubby arms to pat his cheek. “The scary things can’t come for Syaoran when Mokona’s here.”

She was pulling at his arms, trying to drag them away so that his nails would no longer dig into his skin. “I’m all right,” Syaoran said, a lie. He yielded to her gentle pressure and dropped his hands, using one to press Mokona against his chest in a hug.

“Should I get Fai?”

Of course she could tell. His heart must be thundering. And he was still short of breath. “No, I’m okay,” he protested.

She stared at him for a moment. “I’m getting Fai.”

Before he could voice further protests, she leaped off his chest and bounced out the door. Syaoran scrubbed at his face with his hands, hoping to regain some composure before Fai came into the room. He didn’t even know what had woken him, but the eerie magenta light spilling into the room from the large window wasn’t helping matters.

Syaoran got out of bed and walked to the window, drawing the curtains shut. They were thin and didn’t block all of the light, but at least it was an improvement.

“Hey.”

Syaoran turned. Fai was in the doorway, looking like he had just woken up. Mokona was on his shoulder, and Kurogane was lurking behind the pair of them. Kurogane at least didn’t look sleepy, but ninjas probably trained to be alert as soon as they woke up.

“Is everything all right?” Fai asked, crossing the room to Syaoran and looping his arms around Syaoran’s neck. Despite his resolve to appear fine, Syaoran couldn’t help but lean into the familiar, comforting touch.

“Nightmares again?” Kurogane asked, and then one of his big hands was ruffling Syaoran’s hair. His real hand. He never managed to be quite as gentle with the artificial one.

“I guess. I don’t remember what they were about though,” Syaoran admitted.

He felt weak, leaning into the older men for comfort. Hadn’t he lived on his own for seven years in an unfamiliar country, away from his parents and everything he had ever known? Hadn’t he lived for another seven years trapped in a tank after he turned back time? He could handle a nightmare.

“Syaoran-kun, you’re shaking,” Fai said. He rubbed his hands down Syaoran’s arms. “Remember to breathe, all right? We’re here for you.”

“Yeah,” Syaoran agreed. He closed his eyes, listening to Fai’s heartbeat. Unlike Mokona’s, Fai’s heart beat like Syaoran’s. It was a comforting sound. And Syaoran had to admit that Mokona was right to get the others. He already felt a million times better just by having them in the room. The sensation of being crushed faded, and Syaoran took a deep breath.

It wasn’t all loss. He had gained so much too. Fai, Kurogane, and Mokona. Kimihiro. And even though Sakura was far away, Syaoran knew her heart and her thoughts were with him, just as his were with her.

“I feel better now,” Syaoran said.

Fai smiled. Not the bright, fake smile he’d worn like a shield when he had first started traveling with the group, back when it was the other Syaoran and not him. And back when the other Sakura had still been with them. “Good,” he said. “Now lie down like a good boy and Mommy will tuck you in.”

Syaoran choked out a small laugh at the old joke, but obediently crawled back into bed. Mokona hopped from her position on Fai’s shoulder to curl up next to Syaoran. Fai drew the blanket over both of them, smoothing it with a tender gesture. Kurogane went to the window and repeated Syaoran’s futile attempt to block out some of the light.

“Damn, it’s light as day out there,” Kurogane grumbled. He gave up on the flimsy curtains and sat on the edge of the bed. He put a hand on Syaoran’s face, covering his eyes. “Quit thinking so much and go to sleep. Nothing is ever as bad as it feels at night,” he said.

Syaoran wondered if he was speaking from experience. And he felt childish asking, but... “Do you mind staying for a bit? Until I fall asleep?”

It was Fai who answered. “Of course we’ll stay,” he said. He stretched out on top of the covers next to Syaoran, and Kurogane followed suit on the other side. It was impossible not to feel safe sandwiched between the two bravest, most capable men Syaoran knew. Syaoran didn’t know how long it took, but he eventually dropped off to sleep. This time, there were no dreams.


	4. Sakura

“Sakura-chan.”

Sakura paused. This corridor in the castle was open to the elements, and airy. She used to play with Syaoran here when they were both children. Sometimes, when she was feeling lonely, she liked to come here to touch the pillars and imagine their younger selves. Before all the bad things happened.

It was her mother Nadeshiko, the queen of Clow Country, who had called her. “Yes, mother?” Sakura asked, as she turned and waited for Nadeshiko to catch up. It took a moment because the corridor was long and Nadeshiko started at the other end, but when she reached Sakura she held out a book bound in plain brown leather.

“Touya-kun asked me to give this to you. He and Yukito-kun went to the town earlier, and he bought it for you,” Nadeshiko said as Sakura accepted the book and flipped it open. It was full of creamy white paper. Each page was blank and unlined. Sakura held it to her chest. She knew why her brother bought it for her. She was both sad and embarrassed that she was so transparent. “Have you filled the last one already?”

Sakura blushed. “Yes,” she admitted. So her mother knew as well. Sakura knew her family was being considerate of her, but she wished they wouldn’t worry. It was the other version of her that had suffered through unimaginable hardships. All she had been able to do was wait around for rescue, while watching through the other Sakura’s eyes.

No, she wasn’t going to feel sorry for herself. It wasn’t like her. She worked up a smile for her mother. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to thank Touya-niisan and Yukito-san later,” she said. Her mother’s hand, cool and comforting, touched her cheek.

“Are you doing all right?” Nadeshiko asked.

Some of Sakura’s loneliness faded with the touch of that hand. Nadeshiko’s kindness and compassion could make even the most difficult day better. “Yes. I just miss him, that’s all. But I like helping around the castle, and keeping busy,” said Sakura. “It keeps my spirits up. And I’ll keep writing Syaoran letters. Someday, when he comes back for good, we can read them together.”

Sakura believed that day would come. The day that Syaoran’s payment for the paradox could end and he could return to Clow Country, and they could be together forever. Until then, she would wait like she had promised.

Nadeshiko smiled back and let her hand fall. “That sounds lovely. Now, I’m sure you’re eager to break in your new notebook, so I’ll leave you to it.”

This time Sakura’s smile was genuine. “Yeah. Thanks, Mother.” She darted off, still holding the book to her chest. When she reached her room, she let the door fall shut behind her as she sat at her writing desk. She flipped to the first blank page of the notebook and started the letter as she always did.

_My dear Syaoran._

Then she paused to consider what she would like to share with him today. She closed her eyes, as she always did, and imagined he was in the room with her. What would they talk about if he were here? What would she be burning to tell him?

She put pen to paper and continued to write.

_I hope you’re doing well, and I miss you desperately. But I’m sure you know that. I’ve been busy helping my mother, brother, and Yukito-san around the castle. There’s always a lot to do. I’ve also started a small garden plot. I haven’t managed to get anything to grow yet, but I’ll keep trying!_

She continued her letter. She always felt bad not writing anything to Fai or Kurogane in her letters, but she wasn’t going to send them. There was no way to send her letters across the infinite worlds to Syaoran. So these were for him, and him alone, so that they could read them together one day.

Hundreds and hundreds of letters. She used to write them on loose paper, fold them up, and store them in a box under her bed, before Touya started buying her the notebooks. And that had made her happy, both because it was tidier, and because it felt like a sign of acceptance from Touya, who had never seemed to like Syaoran.

She signed her letter with a flourish and closed the notebook. She slipped it onto the shelf with the others and stared at them fondly.

 _Someday,_ she thought.

But for now, she would go see if Yukito needed help with anything.


	5. Mokona

Mokona woke up. Weak early morning sunlight filtered into the room in thin lines through the blinds. All the guys were still asleep. Mokona was sharing the bed closest to the window with Syaoran, while Fai and Kurogane shared the bed closest to the door. The beds were narrow, so Fai and Kurogane were smooshed together with Kurogane holding onto Fai in his sleep as though afraid Fai would fall off if he let go.

Since it was too early to get up if the guys were still asleep, Mokona snuggled deeper into the crook of Syaoran’s arm and closed her eyes. However, sleep would not come. The birds chirping outside the window and rattling the gutter seemed very loud this morning, and activity in the city had already picked up. Two men were having a loud conversation in the parking lot three floors down, while heavy things were being lifted and dragged. Bored, Mokona listened to try to guess what the men were doing. A series of hollow footsteps were accompanied by squeaking and clanging metal... Oh, Mokona knew those sounds! It was a moving truck. Someone new was moving into the apartment complex.

Mokona and the others came to this world three days ago, and while there were lots of apartments units on their floor, they had yet to speak to any of their neighbours. In fact, Mokona had only ever seen the occupants of one of the units, the one closest to the elevator. It was occupied by a busy couple who didn’t even say good morning.

This wasn’t a friendly world.

Mokona hoped they would go to Clow Country again soon. It had been months since they last saw Sakura, and Mokona missed her. She knew the guys felt the same way, especially Syaoran.

Going to the store would be good too. Then they could visit Watanuki and the other Mokona. But she couldn’t control which world they went to next.

Syaoran shifted, and Mokona stopped her restless wiggling. She hadn’t meant to wake him up, and hoped that he would settle back to sleep. But there was a loud bang from the moving truck outside, and Syaoran’s eyes snapped open. His hands scrabbled in the sheets, then he pressed his palms together like he was going to summon his sword. He froze and seemed to realize there was no danger. His body relaxed, and his hands fell back to his sides.

“Good morning, Syaoran,” Mokona whispered, hoping to avoid waking the others.

Syaoran offered a sleepy smile in reply. “’Morning, Mokona,” he mumbled.

The other two were starting to move around. Fai squirmed out of Kurogane’s arms and wished them a good morning on his way to the bathroom. When he was gone, Kurogane sat up, absently rubbing the join between his shoulder and his prosthetic arm. Since Kurogane always did this in the morning, Mokona thought maybe his prosthetic arm hurt. But he refused to admit it, so Mokona bounced over and bumped against his face.

“Good morning, Kurogane,” she said. She attempted to kiss his cheek, but he squished her into the mattress with his hand. She squealed and wiggled, though it didn’t hurt. Well, if he could move the prosthetic arm so easily, she probably didn’t need to worry.

Fai returned with his face damp from washing. He looked more alert. “What would you like for breakfast?” he asked the group, smiling.

Mokona attempted to shove Kurogane’s hand off, then bit his fingers when that didn’t work. Of course he didn’t feel it. He smirked and tickled her belly, making Mokona squeal again. Satisfied with that, he released her with an eyeroll. Mokona wasted no time bounding out of his reach and into Fai’s arms.

“I want pancakes!” she declared, nuzzling Fai’s face. Sure it was sucking up, but Fai usually gave in. Not like Kurogane. “And cheese scones!”

Kurogane would be making a face behind Mokona’s back. He wasn’t a fan of sweets.

“Sure,” Fai agreed. “Would you like to help?”

“Yes!”

“I’ll help too,” Syaoran said, swinging his legs out of bed.

Mokona sat on Fai’s shoulder for the short trip to the kitchen, cuddling into his neck. She missed her other friends - Sakura and Yuuko and Watanuki and the other Mokona - but if she could choose to be anywhere, she would choose to be with these three.


	6. Favourite Minor Character

This stretch of Valeria was desolate and empty but for the deep valley that cut into the earth and the weather-beaten remnants of the tower that once rose above it, long since collapsed. Nobody dared come to this place. Rumours swirled in the nearby town that anyone who ventured too close to the valley or touched the stones of the tower would be cursed. In the past, the corpses of the guilty would be thrown into the valley, prevented from rotting by the strange magic of the place. Such practices had fallen out of favour in the last century, and now the only visitors were the curious - often children - and the reckless - often teens, and often in groups.

Occasionally, someone would come out here to die. Such things were tragedies and never spoken about.

On this particular day, it was bright and clear. Stunning weather for this time of year, when sleet and snow were much more typical. The calm air was disturbed, swirling about in place. Tighter and tighter it whirled, until the wind became a small tornado. No one living was there to observe as two figures emerged from the swirling air and looked around.

It was clear they were not from this country. Perhaps they weren’t from this world at all. Their clothes were formal and ornate, and not heavy enough for the bitter cold of a Valerian winter. The pair didn’t seem bothered, however. Each wore a heavy pendant on a long chain around his neck and gloves as white as snow. They were both young men, with pale skin and black hair, and eyes that seemed just a bit off.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here,” Subaru remarked to his brother, who remained silent. Kamui wandered over to examine the heap of stones, each still formed in the shape of a rough rectangle. “Though I suppose there might be people a little farther out.”

“What a strange place,” Kamui remarked. “Do you feel it, Subaru?”

Subaru paused to pay closer attention to his surroundings. There was a strange weight to the air that got thicker and thicker as he moved closer to the steep drop of the valley. Subaru rubbed his arms, which were covered in goosebumps. “Yes. This is an ancient and powerful place, though not necessarily a benevolent one. We’d better not stay, and look for a town instead.”

He turned away from the valley, disturbed by the faint outlines of bodies beneath the snow. He stopped short when he noticed a figure standing atop the stones, one he had not seen in his initial look around. It was a child of indeterminate gender, pale and gaunt and poorly dressed for the cold. The child’s hair was long, blond, and tangled, brushing the child’s ankles. The sunken eyes were a bright blue that was a shock to see in such a pitiful face.

Subaru noticed with horror that the child’s feet were bare in the cold snow, and that the child had no gloves or hat. Subaru was a vampire and not affected much by the cold, but a human child could freeze to death out here.

Subaru’s first instinct was to help. He took several steps toward the child, who did not react. “You shouldn’t be out here dressed like that,” Subaru said. “Where are your parents?” The child was in such rough shape... perhaps they were an orphan?

The child looked startled. “You can see me?”

“What?” Too late Subaru realized that the child was slightly transparent, and that rather than standing on the rocks as Subaru had thought, the child’s feet appeared to hover just above them.

Subaru was speaking to a ghost.

“Oh.” This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Subaru and Kamui both had a high spiritual sense that was unrelated to being vampires. It seemed to run in their family. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize...”

Kamui came over to investigate, hopping up on the stones with the ghost. “Poor thing,” Kamui said. His eyes held pity. That wasn’t usual for him. He was far colder and more distrustful than Subaru. But the ghost of a child who had clearly been mistreated in life would move Kamui’s heart. “Did you starve to death?”

The ghost still looked surprised, as though they weren’t used to being seen. Perhaps the ability to see spirits was uncommon in this world. But the child did answer the question. “No, I fell. Down there.” And the child pointed down into the valley.

Kamui and Subaru both ventured to the edge to look. “It’s a long way down,” Subaru said, his stomach turning.

“It was longer when I died. I fell from the tower,” the child explained. He gestured to the stones, than pointed up. “It used to be very tall. I fell from the top of the tower down to the valley floor.” The child’s finger traced the path of his fall.

The child’s tone was matter-of-fact, which only upset Subaru further. Ghosts of children were usually volatile. They had been hurt, and they didn’t understand the circumstances of their own deaths. This one appeared to have accepted it. But if that was the case, then why hadn’t this child moved on?

Kamui looked around. There were no houses or signs of civilization as far as he could see. “Here? In the middle of nowhere?” he asked.

“This is the place for the guilty. So this is where we were brought.” The child hopped down from the pile of stones. He, for Subaru was beginning to realize that this was a boy, wandered over the edge of the cliff, and Subaru had to restrain the urge to grab at him. The child floated in the air, looking down. His feet had left no impressions in the snow, no sign that he was here at all.

“But what could you have possibly done? You’re so young,” Subaru asked.

“We’re twins. Twins bring misfortune. But killing us would be worse. So they brought us here. Me up there,” He pointed back up at the sky, where the tower once stood. “And Yuui down there.” And he pointed down to the base of the valley.

Kamui’s hand slipped into Subaru’s, and the child noticed. “Are you twins as well?”

“Yes.” Subaru couldn’t bring himself to speak, he was so appalled, so Kamui answered the question for him. “But twins aren’t considered bad in the world we’re from.”

“From another world...” The child looked wistful. He wasn’t looking at Kamui and Subaru anymore, but rather through them. Into the past. “Yuui thought we could go to another world together, if only we could get out. So there are worlds where it’s fine to be twins.” He seemed to sigh. He looked so sad. “But it was impossible. We couldn’t get out.”

“What’s your name?” Subaru asked. He wanted to know so that he could remember this boy who was a twin like him, but had been treated terribly because of it.

“Fai.”

And Subaru remembered where he had seen eyes that blue before. And a man by that name.

“Oh.” He sat down hard on one of the tower stones. “Your brother didn’t die?”

Fai shook his head and ventured closer. “The man said that if I died, he would let Yuui out. So I did.”

“We might have met him,” Kamui said. So he was thinking about Tokyo, too. Subaru wondered if it was okay to tell Fai what had happened in Tokyo. It might upset him.

But it was too late to back out. Fai’s eyes lit up. “You met Yuui? How is he? Is he tall now?” Fai asked, coming even closer.

Subaru glanced at Kamui, who was also looking at him. “Well, he was at a rough point when we met him,” Kamui said, his hesitation clear. “And he was calling himself your name.”

Some of Fai’s enthusiasm dimmed. “Oh. How bad?” he said in the manner of someone who was used to being the recipient of bad news.

“Well, he came to the world we were in, a place called Tokyo, along with his companions. One of his companions turned out to be a clone without his own heart, but one given to him by the original. The original came to Tokyo too, and the heart returned to him,” Subaru said. He wasn’t sure if he was explaining it well, but Fai listened intently. “And when his heart left him, the clone didn’t care about his companions anymore. And he... ate... one of Fai-san’s eyes.”

“For his magic,” Kamui clarified.

Subaru nodded.

Fai seemed to be processing this information. “So Yuui died?” he asked quietly.

“No. We made a deal with his companions. I’d give him some of my blood, in exchange for his companions helping the people we were with,” Kamui said. “My blood turned him into a vampire, so he survived.”

“Oh.”

Watching Fai’s face, Subaru felt tremendous guilt. He still thought he should have been able to do something to prevent the events in Tokyo. As if reading his thoughts, Kamui placed a comforting hand on Subaru’s shoulder.

“What then?” Fai asked.

“Well, they had to move on to the next world. And then so did we. We haven’t encountered each other since then.”

“I see.” Strangely, Fai didn’t look as upset as Subaru expected. Instead, Fai tried to touch Kamui’s arm, but his fingers went right through. He dropped his hand. “Thank you for helping my brother,” he said, staring up at Kamui.

“I didn’t do much,” Kamui said. To Subaru, it was clear that his brother was uncomfortable. Kamui wished he had been able to do more, too.

“You saved Yuui,” Fai said, voice firm. “You gave him a chance. I’m sure it will be hard for him to adjust to being a vampire, but... you said he has friends now.” Fai’s hands twined together. “We never had anyone before, but Yuui does now. I’m glad. Maybe they’ll help him.”

Subaru smiled, warmed by Fai’s optimism. “Yes, I’m sure they will,” he agreed. “They seemed to care about him a great deal.”

At that, Fai’s face stretched into a smile. It was an awkward smile on a face that wasn’t used to smiling, but Subaru thought it was beautiful. “Thank you for telling me about this,” Fai said. “And I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s best if you do not stay here. Some things seem to have changed since I was alive, but this world still isn’t a good place for twins. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Yeah, we’ll go,” Kamui agreed before Subaru could say anything. But of course he would want to go. He didn’t want Subaru to be in any danger.”

“Will you be all right here by yourself?” Subaru asked. “Shouldn’t you move on?”

“I’ll be okay. It’s nice and quiet here. Nobody bothers me. And I’ll go when I’m ready,” Fai promised.

Subaru didn’t like leaving him there, the pale ghost with a tragic story that he had done nothing to deserve. But there was nothing he could do to help, so Subaru let the magic surround him and Kamui and carry them to the next world.


	7. Horitsuba

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clarity, Fai-sensei is real!Fai, Yuui-sensei is Yuui/Fai, Syaoran is clone!Syaoran, and Shaoron is Tsubasa/Syaoran. I used different anglicized spellings for Syaoran and Shaoron so that it was easier to tell who is who at a glance.

Sakura and Himawari waited outside the Home Economics classroom for the final stragglers of Fai’s last class of the day to filter out of the room. Once the other students had gone and Fai was wiping down the demonstration counter at the front of the room, the girls knocked on the classroom door and stepped inside.

Fai looked up at the knock and smiled. “Sakura-chan and Himawari-chan! Did you need something?” he asked, straightening and wiping his hands on his apron.

Sakura fidgeted, flustered. “Um-!” she began, and faltered from nerves.

“Fai-sensei, we’re sorry to bother you.” Himawari took charge, clasping her hands and smiling. “We have a request. We know that it’s extra work for you, but everyone enjoyed your cake seminar last time, and we were wondering if you would be willing to do another one. Valentine’s Day is coming up, and we would love to learn to make chocolate desserts if you have the time and it’s not too much of a bother.”

“Oh, of course!” Fai said, pleased. “Same group as last time?”

Both girls nodded, delighted.

Fai chuckled. “I doubt Syaoran-kun, Shaoron-kun, and Watanuki-kun need the instruction, but I’ll be happy to teach them all the same.”

“Great! Thank you so much!” Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands.

“We’ll let everyone know. Thank you, Sensei,” Himawari said.

The two girls left the classroom, giggling and chattering, to go tell their friends.

On Valentine’s Day, the whole group gathered in the Home Ec room after school to make chocolate almond petit fours.

“Wow, you’re skillful as always, Watanuki-kun!” Yuui remarked, leaning across the counter to admire Watanuki’s work.

Watanuki’s cheeks went pink. “You praise me too much,” he said, ducking his head with embarrassment.

“Yes, Watanuki is my star student,” Fai said as he stopped the Mokonas from feeding each other handfuls of chocolate ganache. Watanuki’s cheeks went even pinker from pleasure. “Now stop leaning into his workspace.” Fai set the black Mokona well away from the bowl of ganache and took Yuui’s arm to lead him away from where the students were working. He deposited Yuui at the back of the classroom where Yuuko and Kurogane were playing mahjong. Yuuko sent Fai a pitiful look, still sulking because he blocked her from bringing alcohol into the classroom, spoiling her plans for a drinking party.

“Why are you here anyway?” Fai asked Yuuko while Yuui flitted over to peek over Kurogane’s shoulder at his tiles.

Yuuko made an elaborate gesture. “Chocolate tax!” she said with a fiendish glint in her eye.

“A chocolate tax?” Syaoran asked. He and Sakura were working near the back of the room, and they overheard. Both turned to the teachers, puzzled. “What is that?”

Shaoron, who was also nearby, met Fai’s eyes with a ‘here we go again’ expression as Yuuko explained.

Yuuko perked out of her sulk at the interest. “You see, it’s written in the Horitsuba school rules that any chocolate prepared on campus during non-instructional hours must be shared with the school faculty!” Yuuko said. Her explanation was lapped up by Sayoran and Sakura.

“Oh, is that so? I didn’t know!” Sakura said. She looked down at her partially-finished petit fours in concern. Would she have enough?

“Which is why we came to tell you! Otherwise, you would be in violation of school rules,” Yuuko said. She was going to get her hands on some delicious cakes no matter what!

“How many are we supposed to give you?” rule-abiding Syaoran asked, anxious to comply.

Despite her greed, Yuuko knew there was only so much Fai would tolerate of her taking advantage of his students. The man was rather fierce under that softly-smiling exterior. “Oh, one or two per student will be plenty!” she said.

Meanwhile, Doumeki and Himawari were looking at each other in confusion.

“Was there such a rule?” Himawari asked, though she kept her voice down so that the group at the back couldn’t hear.

“...I don’t recall reading about it in the student handbook,” Doumeki replied.

“Ha! As if you’d read the student handbook!” Watanuki stabbed his spatula in Doumeki’s direction. “A rule breaker like you!”

Doumeki raised an eyebrow at him. It was his only change in expression.

“Whose cake are you eating right now?” Watanuki lowered his spatula to point at the plate of cake in Doumeki’s hands.

“Yours,” Doumeki said around a mouthful.

“Exactly! Mine! And did I give you permission? No!” Watanuki flung the spatula into the sink and pulled at his hair in frustration.

“But Watanuki-kun, Valentine’s Day is when you’re supposed to give chocolate to the people you care about,” Himawari said, smiling at Watanuki as if he weren’t making a huge scene in the middle of the classroom.

Near tears, Watanuki turned to Himawari. “Yes, which is why I was going to give cakes to you, Himawari-chan. But this guy-” Having discarded his spatula, Watanuki stabbed his finger at Doumeki, who was helping himself to another cake, “Is not my friend!”

“But you get along so well!” Himawari said. “You can have some of my cake as well.”

Watanuki looked elated.

“I think I made enough for both of you, even with the chocolate tax.”

Watanuki’s face fell.

Fai chuckled as he once again herded the Mokonas away from the ganache. Both of them were quite covered by now. “What about you?” he asked the other students, scrubbing at the white Mokona with a damp cloth while she squealed in protest. “Do you have someone special you intend to give your cakes to?”

Syaoran and Sakura blushed simultaneously. The black Mokona popped up between them, startling both. “I will give mine to Mokona!” he said.

“Aw,” the white Mokona said, playing shy. “I will also give my cakes to Mokona!”

The white Mokona wiggled out of Fai’s hands and bounced off with the black Mokona to feed each other bits of cake.

Sakura turned to Syaoran. Her cheeks were red as she offered her decorated box of petit fours. “I-if you would accept them, I’ll give mine to Syaoran-kun.”

“Sakura...” Syaoran’s face was red as a tomato as he accepted the box. “Thank you. Mine as well... Sakura can have them...”

Unnoticed by the blushing couple, Shaoron slipped away to give them some privacy and spare himself the embarrassment of watching them flirt. His own pretty box of treats was tucked under his arm as he retreated to the front of the classroom where Yuui was hanging off Fai, who was trying to box up the demonstration cakes.

“Yes, yes, you can have them, Yuui,” Fai was saying. “Just like always. But you have to let me box them up first.”

“Yay!” Yuui cheered. Rather than letting go, he nuzzled Fai’s cheek.

“Do you always give chocolate to Yuui-sensei?” Shaoron asked as Yuui snatched the box and darted out of the classroom with his spoils, pursued by Yuuko.

“Since we came to Japan, yes. It’s not a tradition where we’re from, and I don’t have anyone special.” Yuui shrugged and continued cleaning. “He’s going to share them with Kurogane-sensei anyway.”

Shaoron chuckled, and Fai smiled at him. “Are you going to see your special person after this?” Fai asked.

“Yes. I hope they’ll like the cakes.”

“I’m sure they will,” Fai said. “You made them. And after Watanuki-kun, you’re my best student.”

Shaoron smiled, pleased. “Thank you.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuui had escaped from Yuuko by hiding in the PE supply closet with Kurogane. They sat on the stack of gymnastics mats while Yuui offered Kurogane a petit four.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kuro-tan!” he said, also handing Kurogane a fork.

Kurogane accepted both, looking fond but exasperated. He wasn’t overfond of sweets, but he’d eat the damn cake if it made Yuui happy. But he couldn’t help but ask. “Does this even count as Valentine’s gift? Your brother made it.” Kurogane grimaced when Yuui pretended to fall to the floor in despair. “I’m eating it, I’m eating it. I said I would, didn’t I?”

Still grumbling, Kurogane took a big bite. Recovered from his despair, Yuui slid back into his seat with a dopey smile. While Kurogane continued to eat, Yuui dug around in the pocket of his lab coat.

Something poked Kurogane’s cheek. Yuui was holding a small box wrapped in tissue paper to Kurogane’s face. “What?”

“I made these ones,” Yuui said as Kurogane pulled the box away from his face. “Dark chocolate truffles. They shouldn’t be too sweet. Happy Valentine’s.”

Kurogane rolled his eyes. Yuui had made him eat the sweet cake just to mess with him. Typical. But he took the box. “Heh. Thanks.”


	8. OTP

Fujitaka and Nadeshiko didn’t think the story of how they met was very interesting, but they didn’t mind telling it to their children anytime they asked. Sakura especially liked to hear it as a bedtime story when she was young.

It was simple, really. Fujitaka was the Crown Prince of Clow Country, and soon to be king. Nadeshiko was a girl with high magical ability who had been singled out as a candidate for the role of High Priestess. It was an important role in Clow Country, especially as the High Priestess (or Priest) was responsible for maintaining the precious supply of water in the ruins.

So sixteen-year-old Nadeshiko came to live in the castle, to receive training and to undergo the rites and purification ceremonies in order to become priestess.

“And she was the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen, right Dad?” Sakura would always interrupt when she was small.

And Fujitaka would always smile in reply. “Yes, the most beautiful girl in all the world. I thought she was an angel.”

“Until I tripped and fell down the stairs,” Nadeshiko said, smiling with her daughter’s head in her lap. “I was always very clumsy, remember?”

“And I still thought you were magnificent,” Fujitaka replied.

Touya rolled his eyes, but he never really minded the mushiness of the story.

As the ruler of Clow Country and the High Priestess were expected to work closely together, Fujitaka and Nadeshiko spent a lot of time together.

“And you fell in love!” Sakura said.

“Yes.” 

“Very much so.”

Sakura rolled over, resting her chin on her hands. “And what did you like about each other?” She wanted to know. “How did you know you loved each other?”

“Well, your father was always so kind. Kind, gentle, very sweet. And of course, he still is. No matter how hard or how frustrating his work would be, he was never angry. I was very attracted to the gentleness of his soul,” Nadeshiko said. She stroked her daughter’s hair while Sakura giggled. “It didn’t hurt that I also thought he was the most handsome man I had ever seen.”

“Your mother was beautiful and compassionate. So generous. She always wanted to help, no matter what your trouble was. And she cared about everything, whether it was a flower or a person or a bird. She never wanted anything to hurt,” Fujitaka said. “As for how we knew... well, you’ll find out for yourself one day.”

“Not anytime soon, though,” Touya teased. “First she’s gotta outgrow being a monster.”

The smile dropped from Sakura’s face and was replaced by a scowl. “I’m not a monster!”

“You sure screech like one.”

“I’m _not!_ Dad, tell him!”

Nadeshiko and Fujitaka smiled at each other over their children’s heads.


	9. Rare Pair

“Do you think the Witch of Dimensions will like it?” Sakura asked. Tomoyo had dropped a length of black fabric into her arms, and Sakura stared down at it in bewilderment. She had never sewn clothes before. At least, not that she could recall. The point of this whole journey was to get back the scattered feathers, which were her memories. Maybe she would get one back and it would turn out she was an expert seamstress.

She doubted it, but if she was, it would be nice if she had that feather _now_. She wanted the Witch of Dimensions to like her gift. She had done so much to help Sakura, and yet Sakura was always sleeping. She wanted to be able to pay back what she could.

“As long as your work hard and put your heart into it, she’ll surely like it,” Tomoyo assured her with a smile. “And I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura said. “I almost feel like I should make you a gift in thanks, too. You’ve done so much for me already.”

Tomoyo carried her sewing box over to the desk and took the protective cover off her sewing machine. At Sakura’s words, she laughed a little. “Oh, I haven’t done anything at all,” she said.

“That’s not true!” Sakura smoothed the black fabric over the table as Tomoyo had instructed. She didn’t know the Witch’s measurements, so Tomoyo had said that they would have to guess as close as they could. “You did what you could to protect us so that I could get my feather back. You went out of your way to make me an outfit for the race, and you didn’t have to. And now you’re going to teach me to make clothes. You’ve been so incredibly kind.”

Tomoyo blushed and smiled. “Well, if that’s the case, then I’m happy,” she said.

The girls spent hours together in the little room, ignoring the sounds of the party downstairs. Tomoyo did the patterning. It was too difficult for an amateur, and Sakura didn’t want to ruin the fabric Tomoyo bought for her. But she sewed it together herself, with Tomoyo’s hands over hers to guide the fabric through the machine. Sakura had never seen such a machine before. It was remarkable! The stitches went so fast, Sakura had to be careful how much pressure she put on the pedal, which was a bit like flying her Dragonfly.

Also like flying her Dragonfly, she occasionally forgot and pressed too hard. The fabric zoomed through her hands while Tomoyo looked on in horror. But whenever this happened, Tomoyo patiently pulled the stitches out of the ruined seam so that Sakura could try again.

Tomoyo was so, so kind.

It was only because of her that Sakura was able to make something that pleased the Witch when Sakura sent it through Mokona.

And when it was time to be parted, Tomoyo said, “I truly hope we do meet again. I like you so much,” while clasping Sakura’s hands in hers.

Sakura beamed in pleasure. “Me too! I really like Tomoyo,” she replied, squeezing Tomoyo’s hands.

Tomoyo looked wistful for a beat, because she knew Sakura meant it differently. But she smiled and let go. “If we both wish for it, surely it will happen. Safe travels to you!”

But she never did meet Sakura again.


	10. KuroFai

Their relationship had shifted, but they didn’t talk about it.

It was understandable. Kurogane wasn’t much of a talker in the first place, and Fai had spent too many years keeping all of his thoughts and feelings bottled up inside. It wasn’t that reticence came naturally to Fai the way it did to Kurogane. He’d just never had anyone to share things with. Even Ashura-ou, the closest person to him, hadn’t been a confidant.

The most blatant shift happened in Tokyo. Fai nearly died, and Kurogane saved his life - against Fai’s wishes. Fai didn’t know how things got to that point. When had Kurogane come to care for him enough to want him to live? Even if Fai had to drink Kurogane’s blood for the rest of his life, and hated Kurogane for it?

At the time, Fai was frightened.

He was even more frightened when he realized that there were no limits to what he would do to protect Kurogane.

Because they weren’t friends. They couldn’t be. Fai was meant to betray them all for Fei Wang Reed. He needed to bring his brother back to life.

Because no matter how much he loved Kurogane, no matter how much he loved the children and Mokona, he loved Fai, his precious twin brother, more. His feelings of love tangled with feelings of guilt, grief, and loss.

He loved Kurogane.

He could not love Kurogane and try to resurrect Fai. That would be a betrayal, and he knew it.

So he created distance. He didn’t talk to Kurogane unless he had to, and only when it came to the safety of the children. He stopped the teasing and the silly nicknames. While fun, they created a dangerous intimacy that had snuck up on Fai.

There was also the awkward situation where he required Kurogane’s blood to live, whether the two of them were on speaking terms or not.

And Kurogane still cared, because he made sure Fai drank it.

And Fai still cared, because he drank the blood. He hated to see Kurogane’s blood drip to the floor, and knew that the only way to stop it was to drink. He couldn’t bear to see Kurogane bleed because of him.

He resented Kurogane for that, and for one other thing. 

He and his twin were meant to be together, no matter what.

By refusing to let him die in Tokyo, Kurogane prevented Fai from being reunited with his beloved brother.

If that were enough to make Fai hate Kurogane, everything would be so much simpler. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. So he refused to forgive Kurogane. Otherwise they would be close again.

Kurogane would find out why they couldn’t be close later.

And then Sakura’s body fell into Celes after she split herself in two, and Fai had to go face Ashura-ou. His fear and dread were so great, all he wanted to do was run. Fast and far, and hope Ashura-ou never found him. But he couldn’t. Sakura would die if he did. His brave, strong, resilient princess. No, Fai couldn’t abandon her.

Even if Fai didn’t go, Syaoran and Kurogane would. Fai couldn’t let them face Ashura-ou alone. They would be killed. If Fai went, Ashura-ou would almost certainly kill him. But that was okay, as long as the others survived.

Fai didn’t like to think about that horrible day. The _feelings_. How he thought it was all over. They knew. He lost them. And if he was going to lose them, then he had to cling on to Fai because the hope of reviving his brother was all he had left.

But Kurogane.

 _Stupid_ Kurogane.

Kurogane forgave him. Kurogane said he didn’t care about any of the things Ashura-ou had shown him. He fought for Fai, who didn’t think he deserved a champion.

When the second curse activated, Fai did his best to save his friends and the man he loved. Even if that meant he couldn’t get out himself. And Kurogane cut off his own arm and discarded his sword, all to take Fai with him.

Mokona took them to the next world while Fai was still reeling from the shock. Kurogane was gushing blood. By the time they landed, Kurogane was unconscious.

Fai was frantic. Kurogane was _dying_ , and there was nothing Fai could do. Fai couldn’t help him. Fai couldn’t heal! Kurogane had forgiven Fai, had loved him enough to save him at such great personal cost, twice, and Fai would still lose him.

Then Tomoyo arrived in the nick of time with her team of ninja. She comforted Fai and whisked Kurogane off to treatment. She did all the things Fai couldn’t.

The first thing Fai did when he next saw Kurogane conscious was punch him as hard as he could. All that fear in one punch. Then he started it up with the playful nicknames. So that Kurogane would know.

From the grin on his face, he did.

The two of them had been through a lot since then. And they still hadn’t had a proper talk about it. Yet they both knew that they were two people who loved each other and their surrogate children. Did that make them a couple? Fai thought so. He hoped Kurogane thought so too, or this was going to be terribly awkward.

But when their eyes met across a campfire in some new world, or when Kurogane’s hand went to Fai’s elbow to steady him on uneven terrain, Fai had no doubt.

Kurogane loved him.

For his part, Fai thought Kurogane was pretty great too.


	11. SyaoSaku

Sakura stood at the mirror while her mother hovered behind her, adjusting Sakura’s gown and pinning flowers to her cape. When the task was complete, Nadeshiko put her hands on Sakura’s shoulders and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “Beautiful,” Nadeshiko declared.

Sakura smiled. She was pleased with the effect of the gown, flowers, and cosmetics. She hadn’t expected to be nervous. She had waited for this day for years. But there was something about the fuss of a wedding that brought out her nerves.

Nadeshiko always seemed to know what Sakura was thinking. She kissed Sakura’s hair. “Relax. It’s just a ceremony where you make a promise, and a party to celebrate. And everyone who loves you is here to celebrate with you,” Nadeshiko said.

“Yes,” Sakura said, smiling. Syaoran was here, finally to stay. Since there was no longer any need for Syaoran to continue his journey, there was no need for Fai, Kurogane, and Mokona to journey either. They were all here for the wedding.

Sakura knew Fai and Kurogane were discussing where they wanted to settle. Sakura hoped they would choose to stay right here, and she made sure to tell them they were both welcome.

She knew Syaoran hoped for the same thing, but that he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Fai and Kurogane had already accompanied him on his long journey when they didn’t have to. If they decided they wanted to return to Japan, Kurogane’s home country, Syaoran did not want to guilt them for that choice.

The door behind Sakura opened and Touya stuck his head in. “You ready yet, Squirt? Everyone’s seated,” he said.

“Just one minute,” Nadeshiko replied. She fussed over some final touches, then smiled and took a step back. “Yes, I think you’re ready.”

Sakura’s gown and cape rustled as she stood and turned to face her brother. Touya looked sad, but all he said was, “Not bad for a monster.”

Sakura frowned at him, but Nadeshiko continued to smile as she steered Sakura to the door. “Now, Touya-kun,” she chided. “Not today of all days.”

Touya huffed, but followed his mother and sister to the room where Fujitaka was waiting. His eyes teared up at the sight up his daughter in her wedding finery. He took her hands and held them for a long moment, gazing at Sakura until she began to blush and squirm.

Fujitaka laughed and released her. “I’m sorry, Sakura-san. It’s just that you look so beautiful and grown up. It feels like I’m losing you.”

Sakura smiled and placed a hand on her father’s cheek. “But Dad, I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “Syaoran and I will be staying right here.”

“Indeed,” Nadeshiko said, coming over to lay a hand on her husband’s arm. “And we’re keeping him waiting.”

Touya had to leave to join Yukito, who would be performing the ceremony itself while Touya acted as the member of the royal family signing the marriage into law.

As they approached the wedding hall, Sakura’s heart began to pound with anticipation. It had actually been days since she had spoken to Syaoran. In accordance with Clow Country’s customs for royal weddings, the couple had been kept separate for the seven days prior to the wedding while each underwent their own cleansing ritual in the ruins. Sakura was required to be in the ruins for purification from sunrise to sundown, accompanied by her mother who acted as priestess. Syaoran took her place from sunset to sunrise, accompanied by Yukito acting as priest.

During the last seven days the only time Syaoran and Sakura had seen each other was when they were hustled past each other when they swapped places at the ruins. Now all their longing and waiting would finally pay off.

One of the servants handed Sakura a garland of flowers as she arrived at the hall where the wedding was going to be held. At some unseen signal, music began to play softly inside. The servants opened the doors wide and Sakura stepped inside.

There was an appreciative murmur as Sakura made her way to the centre of the room in all her finery, flanked by her parents. But Sakura didn’t register the faces of her guests. All she could see was Syaoran.

As Sakura advanced from one side of the room with her parents on either side of her, Syaoran approached from the other side. He looked so handsome in his green and white robes. But the most beautiful thing was his smile when their eyes met. 

Since Syaoran didn’t have parents to escort him, he was flanked by Fai and Kurogane. Oh, and there was Mokona, tucked into the front of Kurogane’s loose black robes.

They met in the middle, Syaoran and Sakura both blushing and beaming like idiots. Syaoran bent his head so that Sakura could put the flower garland over his head, and then she held still while Syaoran placed the flower crown he was holding carefully on her head. It was so reminiscent of when they first met, when Sakura had been undergoing her purification ceremony and they weren’t allowed to touch.

She just knew he was thinking about it too. But this time, they could touch each other. As one, they reached out and clasped hands.

Sakura barely heard the words Yukito spoke for the ceremony, she was too busy gazing as the face she loved best in all the worlds. But she managed to follow her cues and parrot the words she was supposed to. She and Syaoran pledged their eternal love and devotion to each other as if they hadn’t already done so years ago. They fed each other bits of bread and apple to conclude the ceremony.

As part of Clow Country’s wedding tradition, the newly wedded couple was welcomed into each other’s family. Sakura released Syaoran and held her hands out to Fai, who pulled her into a hug.

“You look radiant,” he whispered in her ear. Sakura laughed and tried not to cry, but managed to stammer out a thank you.

She intended to give Kurogane a kiss on the cheek, and was surprised when he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. She squeaked, then laughed as Mokona kissed her. “Congratulations, Sakura!” Mokona said.

“About fucking time, huh?” Kurogane rumbled. And then she really did cry, burying her face in Kurogane’s robes next to Mokona. Kurogane held her hard and Mokona cuddled against her cheek to murmur soothingly. Fai came over and rubbed her back.

“Yes, you two had to wait much too long for this,” Fai said.

Embarrassed, Sakura pulled back a little to swipe at her damp cheeks with her long, flowing sleeves. Mokona decided to help by kissing the tears off her cheeks, punctuating each kiss with a loud “Mwah!” It was impossible not to giggle, and by the time Sakura pulled away she felt much better.

She looked behind her and found that Nadeshiko was refusing to let Syaoran go so that Fujitaka could greet him. She kept her arms clasped tightly around Syaoran’s neck and laughed as Fujitaka tried to wiggle his way in. In defeat, Fujitaka wrapped his arms around both of them.

Touya caught Sakura’s eye and rolled his in feigned disgust. But he did go over to ruffle Syaoran’s hair and tease him.

And Syaoran smiled and smiled and smiled.

Sakura had never been so happy in her life.


	12. AU

“Excuse me.”

Syaoran looked around at the sound of the call. He was on a ladder braced against the bookshelves, shelving books. There was a cute girl staring up at him with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry to both you,” she said as he climbed down the ladder. “But I can’t seem to find the book I’m looking for. Could you help me?”

“Sure.” It was, after all, Syaoran’s job to help people find books. “Which book is it?”

The girl handed him a paper with a list of books on it. “I’ve found the first two, but not the last one,” she said.

They were all books on ancient civilizations. “Are you taking a class?” Syaoran asked to make conversation as he led her through the shelves to the proper section. She really was _extremely_ cute, with big green eyes and a soft face that seemed to smile often.

She shook her head. “No, it’s for my dad. He’s an archaeology professor,” she explained. “We have an extensive library at home, but he’s always collecting new books.”

Syaoran smiled. “He sounds like my kinda guy. I love books,” he said. He walked down the shelves, scanning it for the title on the list. He got to the spot where the book should be, but that section of shelf was empty. “Hm, you’re right. I don’t see it. Let me check the computer to see if we have any in stock.”

“Okay.” She followed him to the counter and waited with far more patience than most while he checked the system.

“I’m sorry, it looks like it’s out of stock. I can order it in for you, but it’ll take a couple weeks. Is that okay?” he asked.

“Oh... I think so. Dad didn’t say it was urgent,” she said, frowning a little. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll need to take down your information so that I can contact you once we receive it. What’s your name?”

“Sakura.”

He typed her information into the computer as she gave it to him. “All right. So we’ll give you a call in a couple of weeks,” he said when he was finished. 

She beamed at him, and his heart thumped painfully. He felt his face heat up.

Why was she so cute?

“Thank you! I’ll see you then. Oh, what was your name?” she asked, seeming to realize suddenly that she didn’t have it.

Syaoran stammered in his flustered state. “Syaoran.”

“Okay. See you, Syaoran!” she said. She left the store with a bounce in her step, leaving Syaoran staring after her.

He _really_ hoped he was the one working when that book came in.


	13. Characters with Disabilities

Sakura woke up on the floor of the Cat’s Eye with Syaoran’s worried face hovering above her. It took her a moment to realize that he was holding her so that her head and torso were up off the floor. She felt sluggish and disoriented, and she did not immediately remember what she had been doing when she fainted. When she did, she struggled to sit upright. “The scones-” she began.

“I took them out of the oven,” Syaoran said, tightening his grip so that she couldn’t get up. She didn’t have the strength to resist, and that frustrated her. “Princess, you should go lie down.”

She hated the worry in his eyes. She hated that she was too weak to prove that she could do it. Even now, sleep dragged at her. It was a struggle just to keep her eyes open, and eventually her exhausted body succumbed. She didn’t feel Syaoran carry her upstairs to bed, but when she woke up, it was late morning. Of the following day.

Sakura scrambled to get dressed in clean clothes and staggered down the stairs and into the cafe kitchen before she was fully awake. “I’m sorry I’m late!” she gasped as she caught herself on the counter.

Fai smiled at her. “It’s no problem. We’re just having breakfast. Would you like some pancakes?”

“Yes, but, I should be helping,” Sakura said as Fai guided her to the table with a hand on her shoulder.

“I took care of it. It’s fine, Sakura-chan. You need to eat,” Fai said. He nudged her into a chair and left to make her a plate of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.

Sakura frowned at the tabletop. Her hands clenched in her lap. Syaoran and Kurogane were making plans to go out demon hunting again, as well as looking for information. That made her feel more guilty and useless. Everyone was working so hard, and she could barely stay awake!

She wasn’t very hungry, but Fai had gone to the trouble to make pancakes for her, so she ate them. They were delicious. Fai was an amazing cook. He was teaching her, but she wasn’t sure she would ever approach his level of skill.

Since it wasn’t time for him and Kurogane to leave yet, Syaoran helped her get the cafe ready to open. “Princess Sakura, is everything all right?” he asked.

Sakura jolted. She had paused in the act of refilling the napkin dispenser. “Sorry, I guess I spaced out a little,” she said with a nervous smile.

“If you need to rest more-” Syaoran began, but Sakura couldn’t take it.

“No, I’m fine!” she said with more force than she intended. Syaoran looked taken aback, and Sakura immediately felt guilty for snapping at him. He was trying so hard to help her get her feathers back, suffering hardships and injuries all for her sake. It wasn’t his fault she was weak. “I’m sorry, Syaoran-kun. I’m just frustrated. Everyone’s working so hard, but I’m no help at all.”

“That’s not true,” Syaoran protested. “We all know that you’re doing your best, Princess. We haven’t gotten enough of your memory feathers back. That’s why you’re so tired.”

“I know. It’s just...” Sakura said. But she wasn’t sure how to explain that she felt like a burden. She was the whole reason they were on this perilous journey, and she couldn’t help as much as she wanted.

Syaoran closed the glass display case where he had been arranging pastries and came over to take her hand. “I know it’s hard. I’ll do my best to gather your feathers as fast as possible, so that you can get your strength back. But for now, please be gentle with yourself.” When Sakura remained silent, Syaoran frowned. He didn’t let go of her hands. He took a deep breath.

“Princess, I know it’s hard when your body can’t do something you want it to do. I can’t see anything out of my right eye, and that’s frustrating. My depth perception and my balance are thrown off. And I know it’s not the same as what you’re going through. But all we can do is treat ourselves with the same kindness and forgiveness we would give someone else,” he said.

Sakura reached up to touch Syaoran’s face, close to his right eye. “I didn’t notice at all,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

Flustered, Syaoran dropped her hands and waved his in a ‘stop’ gesture. “No, that’s not what I meant! I mean, I’ve gotten good at masking it. I don’t want you to feel guilty. I’ve learned to live around it, but it caused me a lot of troubles when I was little.” At her questioning look, he gave an example. “I burned myself a lot, especially when I was learning to cook.”

“I see...” Sakura said. She did feel better after talking to Syaoran. It didn’t make her stop wishing that she could do more and that she wasn’t so tired all the time. But his advice to forgive herself for what she couldn’t do seemed sound. “Thank you.”


	14. Vintage

Sakura giggled and pressed further back in the closet. She could hear Touya’s angry huffing as he searched the room for her, but he would never think to look in here, among their mother’s fancy clothes. Sure enough, she heard him grumble as he gave up, and the click of the door as he left the room. To make sure he wasn’t tricking her, she stayed where she was for another several minutes with her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles.

When she was certain that Touya really was gone, she eased out from behind her mother’s hanging dresses. She was supposed to do her lessons, but she’d rather play, and Touya only teased her when he was supposed to be helping her study anyway.

Sakura’s intention was to sneak outside and play, but she got distracted by one of Nadeshiko’s dresses. She ran a reverent hand down the fabric, which was a glowing white. She tugged the skirt so that it flared on the hanger and she could see the intricate embroidery and beading more clearly. She knew this dress. There was a portrait hanging in her parents’ room of her parents on their wedding day.

This was her mother’s wedding dress.

Upon this realization, there was nothing that Sakura wanted more than to wear it. But she was only six years old, and the gown was probably very precious to her mother if it was still hanging in the closet after all this time. (In Sakura’s mind, her parents had been married for _centuries_ already).

Even though she knew she wasn’t supposed to, Sakura couldn’t help but run gentle fingertips over the gown. She was so enamoured with the feel of it under her fingers that she was oblivious to everything else until her mother’s hair fell like a curtain around her.

Sakura looked up into her mother’s face, which was smiling fondly as Nadeshiko leaned over her. Sakura snatched her hand away from the dress and blushed at being caught red handed. “Sorry, Mother,” she said.

Nadeshiko took one of Sakura’s small hands in hers. “It’s all right, Princess Sakura, but you’re supposed to be doing your lessons,” she said.

Nadeshiko’s reprimands were always gentle, but Sakura hated disappointing her mother. Touya was one thing - he was a childish brat of a Crown Prince! But she wanted to please her mother.

“Sorry. I was going. In a minute,” Sakura said, trotting beside her mother to the door of her parents' bedroom. “I got distracted by your dress.”

“You like it?” Nadeshiko asked.

“Yes!” Sakura said with enthusiasm.

Nadeshiko smiled. “Well, maybe you’ll get to wear one like it someday.”

Sakura hoped so. She wanted a beautiful gown like her mother’s.


	15. Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horror is really not my jam, so this chapter is more cute and spoopy than scary. Enjoy!

Syaoran eyed the building with misgiving. It was touted as a haunted house that would give you chills, jump scares, and a major case of the creeps. He was happy to spend time with Sakura, but... “Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“Hm?” Sakura hummed. She was bouncing. If he wasn’t mistaken, she was nervous.

“Don’t you hate creepy things?” Syaoran asked. “So why a haunted house?”

Sakura shook her head. “It’s fine! Look, there are little kids going in! So it should be fine, right?” she said, pointing at a group of elementary schoolers that chatted happily amongst themselves as they queued up for entry.

Fai leaned over them, drawing Syaoran and Sakura’s attention to him. “Not to worry! Kuro-run and I will be here with you,” he said, smiling down at them.

“Yeah, so it’s fine,” Sakura said.

Syaoran wasn’t convinced, but he let Fai herd them into the line. It was a strange double-date esque outing that they were on. Originally Sakura had only invited him, but then Kurogane had asked what a haunted house was, and after she explained, Fai said that it sounded interesting. And now... here they were, as a group of five (Mokona was being strangely quiet, but seemed content to ride on Sakura’s shoulder) about to enter the haunted house.

Soon enough it was their turn. The four of them entered together. The house was done up like an old Victorian house that had fallen into disrepair. The curtains were in tatters and blowing ominously in a breeze. Everything looked dirty, and the threadbare carpet beneath their feet was mottled with reddish brown stains. Some of the stains formed footprints that were too big and elongated to have been made by a human foot.

Despite knowing that it was all fake, Syaoran’s adrenaline ramped up a notch as his “protect Sakura” instincts kicked in. She was holding on to his arm, a little creeped out already. A bloodied knife was embedded in the door frame, with more fake blood coating the wall beneath it as though someone had met an untimely end there.

Behind them, Kurogane was muttering to Fai about unrealistic blood consistency and spatter angles, which honestly concerned Syaoran more than the creepy atmosphere. They proceeded into the next room, and Sakura was both relieved that it was tamer than she expected and worried that it would only get worse.

It did.

A corpse sailed past them the second they stepped into the room. It moved too fast for Syaoran to get a good look, but he was left with the impression of a reddened face with bulging eyes, and fingers bent at odd angles as it reached the end of the hall. Kurogane and Fai leaned in to see as the corpse turned every so slowly, to enhance the creepiness.

Cockroaches crawled out of its gaping mouth and scurried into the corners of the room.

Sakura squealed.

Mokona began to laugh, high pitched and cheerful. “Oh, scary!” she said.

Kurogane grabbed her head. The animatronic corpse was now crawling up the wall like a grotesque spider, but that left Kurogane unmoved. Mokona’s laughter, however, had startled him. “Settle down,” he told her.

Mokona stifled her giggles.

There were footprints here, too, leading to the end of the hall where the corpse had disappeared through a splintered hole in the ceiling. A right turn led to another door. Sakura’s grip on Syaoran’s arm tightened. She did not want to go in the direction of the creepy robot. But that was the only other door.

Kurogane was kind enough to take the lead so that Syaoran and Sakura wouldn’t have to go through the next doorway first. Syaoran just hoped that if there were any real actors in here, that Kurogane wouldn’t punch them in the face.

The hallway was pitch black as the group crept into it. The only light seemed to come through cracks in the wall, which was just enough to point them in the right direction. There was strange slimy things hanging from the ceiling that brushed their cheeks and shoulders as they walked through. Mokona started to giggle again and wiggled her body because she enjoyed the sensation. Kurogane growled for her to be quiet just as an actor ran screaming in front of them, slammed into the wall, and then retreated in the darkness.

Syaoran jumped. Sakura screamed. Mokona yelled “Hello!” Kurogane told her to be quiet again. The only one who appeared undisturbed was Fai, though he was strangely quiet as they had to step over realistic dummies sprawled limply across the floor in puddles of yet more fake blood.

This place was really into the fake blood scene.

They stepped into the next room. A group behind them screamed, and Syaoran could only guess that they had just met the creepy animatronic.

Objects whizzed above their heads, unseen in the dark. Sakura ducked her head down. Kurogane swore.

“What is it?” Fai asked.

“The white meat bun got caught on one of those flying things,” Kurogane said.

They spent frantic minutes searching for Mokona in the dark. This wasn’t a world with magic, so they couldn’t approach one of the actors and say that they had gotten separated from a member of their party when said party member was a talking white rabbit-like creature. And Fai was still refusing to use magic, so they couldn’t locate her that way.

Eventually they decided to proceed toward the exit, reasoning that once Mokona got loose from the ‘flying things’ she would proceed in that direction as well. To get to the exit, they had to proceed up a creaking stairwell where misshapen hands tried to grab and poke them, through yet another creepy hallway that echoed with the screams of the damned, and then down another stairwell while being chased by a man in a wolfman suit.

The wolfman stopped chasing them once they reached the foot of the stairs, so Fai let go of his death-grip on Kurogane’s arm that had prevented Kurogane from attempting to fight it. They could see the exit up ahead, the sunlight exceptionally bright and clear after being in the dark and dingy for so long.

“Maybe the white meat bun will be outside already,” Kurogane said as they headed for the door.

“Mokona can’t be too far away, or we wouldn’t be able to understand each other,” Fai replied.

Just then a white shape dropped from the ceiling, heading straight for Kurogane’s face.

“HI GUYS!” Mokona yelled. “I’m here!”

The all screamed. It was more surprise than actual fear, but Kurogane grabbed onto Syaoran and Sakura stumbled backward to collide with Fai.

And that’s what their commemorative photo was of.

The four of them screaming in shock and horror at an adorable white rabbit falling from the rafters.

Kurogane wanted to burn it, but Mokona sucked it up before he could. “You better not have sent that to the witch!” Kurogane snapped, furious.

“But it’s funny!” Mokona replied, and bounced off laughing as Kurogane chased her, roaring about how he was going to rip the photograph out of her.


	16. ANGST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goes with Chapter 6

This world gave Fai a bad feeling.

Maybe it was because it was a cold country and reminded him too much of Valeria and Celes. Maybe it was the fact that as he walked through the city streets with his friends, he could read the script on most of the signs. Either way, he didn’t like it.

The city was more modern than either Valeria or Celes, as there were both cars and electric streetlamps. That made Fai breathe a bit easier. The air was frigid, though, and none of them were dressed for the weather. Mokona was especially vulnerable due to her small size, and she burrowed deep into Kurogane’s clothes to keep her ears from freezing off.

To escape the cold while they figured out what to do next, they ducked into a pub and took seats at the first empty table they saw. Apparently other people had the same idea of escaping the cold, because the room was packed. Heavy wool and fur coats and thick hats were hung over the backs of chairs and on tall coat stands scattered around for that purpose.

The air was warm and moist, scented like alcohol and sweat. It clearly wasn’t a high class establishment, but that suited them fine. Their small group of travelers was used to rough surroundings by now, and it didn’t matter how seedy the pub was if it gave their frozen fingers a chance to thaw out.

They got some looks as they sat down, Kurogane and Syaoran especially. Fai fit in better, as most of the other patrons had blond hair and light eyes as well - blue, green, or grey from what he could see - though there were a few darker heads mixed in as well.

A burly man sitting nearby was giving Kurogane the side-eye. Kurogane leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his chin up slightly in what Fai recognized as his ‘Try it. I dare you, and I’ll laugh as I smash your face in’ look.

The man showed some sense in deciding not to pick a fight. He did, however, strike up a conversation. “Travelers?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Kurogane grunted.

“Not dressed for the weather.”

“No.”

The man turned to Fai instead, deciding that he looked friendlier than his surly companion. “Are you from around here?”

“No. We’ve been doing a lot of traveling,” Fai said with a smile. No one had come to take their order yet, which was a relief as they would have to have the awkward conversation that they didn’t have any of this country’s currency. Though through this conversation, they had already established themselves as travelers, so perhaps the proprietors of the pub would be understanding that they would need to exchange currency or find another way to pay for a meal. “We’ve been on the road for days now. Where is this?”

“Cartan. If you’re heading to the capital, you’ll want to follow the highway north further.”

“So this country is called Cartan,” Syaoran said thoughtfully.

The man gave him an odd look. “No, this _city_ is Cartan. The country is Valeria. How lost are you?”

But Fai didn’t hear anything after Valeria.

His ears rang. The air left his body. He didn’t feel Kurogane move closer to him or place his large hand on Fai’s shoulder, even though Kurogane was squeezing with some force. He didn’t hear the man and his tablemates ask if he was all right, or whatever excuse Syaoran made.

He was aware of Kurogane levering him to his feet, but it felt like something that was happening very far away, to someone else. Kurogane guided him out of the building, and the shock of the cold air hit Fai like a slap. He gasped in a breath, and doubled over when the cold burned his lungs.

Kurogane rubbed his back to help ground him. Valeria. Fai let out a bitter laugh. He didn’t know he was crying, and that his tears froze on his cheeks. He had come full circle, it seemed. He had known that someday he would be forced back to Celes to face Ashura-ou, but this?

He had never expected this.

It was somehow worse.

Syaoran joined them, and his companions must have sorted things out, because the next thing Fai was really aware of was laying on a bed in a small room with whitewashed walls. He blinked and sat up, looking around. Kurogane was perched on a rickety chair that shouldn’t be able to hold his weight and looking out the narrow window.

“Did I faint?” Fai asked as Kurogane looked over.

Kurogane said something unintelligible in reply, and gestured at the rest of the room.

Fai blinked, confused, and looked around. Oh. Syaoran and Mokona weren’t here. That made sense. Syaoran must be off doing something, and he would need Mokona’s translation ability in order to speak with the locals. So Kurogane and Fai were on their own, unable to speak to each other.

Fai flopped back on the bed and covered his eyes with his arms. The bed creaked as Kurogane settled his weight on the edge, and then his fingers threaded through Fai’s hair. He was saying something. Fai couldn’t understand the words, but the familiarity of his voice was comforting.

When Kurogane started shaking his shoulder, Fai had to drop his arms to see what Kurogane was trying to communicate. Kurogane was pointing to the other bed, where Fai’s cold weather clothes were laid out. Fai blinked. His brain felt sluggish, and it took a moment for him to catch up. Oh. Kurogane was also wearing his thick clothes, the ones Mokona usually stored for them.

Since it was now obvious that Kurogane wanted him to get changed, Fai did so, fumbling more than necessary. His hands didn’t feel attached to his body. Once he was finished, he was exhausted, and he flopped back onto the bed. Kurogane seemed satisfied, and left Fai to his thoughts.

It took most of Fai’s concentration to regulate his breathing and his heart rate to keep from falling back into blind panic, so he wasn’t aware of how much time passed before Syaoran and Mokona returned to them with food.

There was no table in the room, so Syaoran and Mokona set the trays on the other bed. “Fai-san, come eat,” Syaoran said, appearing above Fai and looking down at him with concern. “It will help.”

Fai wasn’t sure anything would help, but he got up. He was worrying everyone, and he didn’t want to do that. He didn’t manage to eat much, but he choked down what he could and left the rest to Mokona. There was a lot of noise coming through the floor. It took Fai a moment to realize that his companions were all being very quiet.

He cleared his throat to speak, then had to clear it again. It felt like there was food lodged there, but Fai knew it had to be his own distress. “Where are we now?” he asked.

“The pub recommended a place that rents rooms to travelers,” Syaoran said. “So we’re just down the road. The money exchange was simple enough, thankfully. Apparently this is a popular tourist area now.”

A popular tourist area. Who would have thought. “Why?”

From the look on Syaoran’s face, one would have thought he was the one in pain. Perhaps he was. The boy had too much empathy for his own good. At least he was blunt. “This used to be the capital,” Syaoran said, watching Fai’s face for his reaction. “The old castle is here, and open to tourists.”

“The old castle...?” Fai echoed. His ears roared again. But that meant... if the castle was here...

The valley was nearby.

Sudden pain stabbed into his stomach. Fai curled around it as his friends all moved to support him. He forced himself to breathe. “What else?” he gasped out. Syaoran flinched. “There’s something else. I can see it in your face.”

He was right. He saw the flash of guilt in Syaoran’s eyes, and how Mokona squirmed. They had found something out while Fai was incapacitated. And Kurogane didn’t know what it was, because while he moved to stabilize Fai, he was also watching Syaoran and waiting for him to speak.

Syaoran dropped his hands from Fai’s arms and leaned back. Mokona crawled into his lap, and Syaoran stroked her head. “After you and Kurogane left, I asked some questions,” Syaoran said. “I knew which ones to ask, from watching through the other me. To find out about past events.”

The other Syaoran had been an archaeologist. That made sense.

“It seems you’re something of a legend,” Syaoran said when Fai didn’t speak. “There are stories about the mad king of Valeria, and the twin princes who were banished to the valley. How the king slew the inhabitants of the capital city and flung himself into the valley. And the twin princes vanished the same day the tower in the valley fell.”

“All right,” Fai said. This wasn’t anything he did not know. “And?”

Syaoran was watching him very, very carefully. “No one goes to the valley anymore except for supernatural enthusiasts. They say the valley is haunted. By the ghost of a young boy with long blond hair.”

A ghost. Like in Jade Country. Princess Emeraude.

Except this one was...

It was...

Kurogane grabbed for him, but Fai was already off the bed and out the door. He didn’t even feel himself move until he was on the street, and only then because the cold bit his face. He knew the way to the valley. The city had changed, but the lay of the land had not.

His friends chased him, but they weren’t trying to stop him. Kurogane could have caught Fai with ease if he wanted.

He was forced to slow his frantic run by the time he reached the city limits. The trek to the valley was too far to achieve at a sprint. So he paced along, fueled by a high of adrenaline and pure blind panic. Syaoran and Kurogane caught up, but hung back a little.

Frozen ground stretched as far as he could see on either side, broken by mountains in the distance. But he was only looking forward, where he was starting to make out the jumbled stones of the tower through the snow.

He swallowed hard. He couldn’t breathe. Again. Too many memories flooding back.

His hands gripped his opposite arms hard. But as Kurogane reached for him again, Fai tore away and flung himself forward and screamed.

“FAI!”

He ran to the stones and climbed atop them as high as he could go. He looked around, frantic. They said he was here. He had to be here. “Fai! Can you hear me?” he yelled again.

He screamed for his brother until his throat was raw, pacing up and down beside the steep drop of the valley. The wilderness remained undisturbed. He terrified his friends by dropping to his knees and leaning over the edge of the valley to see if his brother was down below. Fearing for his mental state, Kurogane hauled him away from the edge while Fai continued to shout.

But Fai could not see the pale figure that flitted across the rocks toward him as he called his brother’s name.

He could not hear the voice without a body that cried out his birth-name in response.

He did not feel the ghostly hands tug on his clothes.

And as he collapsed to the snow, sobbing, with his friends’ arms around him, he did not know that his brother’s arms were around him as well, unseen and unfelt. He did not know that his brother cried with him, and that his tears fell on Fai’s hair.


	17. FLUFF

Mokona dropped them in the middle of a downpour.

The group gasped as the deluge of water hit, soaking them instantly. The world around them was green - green grass, green leaves, and green water. It wasn’t too dissimilar to the world where they met the fluffy fox people, except much wetter.

“There!” Fai pointed to a tree with broad leaves and the group sprinted toward it. The leaves blocked most of the rain as they huddled against the tree’s broad trunk.

Syaoran wrung the water from his shirt while Fai did the same with his hair, which reached his shoulders now. Mokona, perched on Kurogane’s shoulder, shook water from her ears. No one was wearing clothes loose enough for her to take shelter in.

“Well, at least it’s not cold,” Fai commented. The air was warm, and even the rain was cool rather than cold.

Kurogane grunted. He was soaked to the skin and wasn’t in the mood to be grateful that it wasn’t worse.

After the perfect weather in Nirai Kanai, it was a bit of a shock. The group stayed under the tree to wait out the rain, but the sky grew darker under thick cloud cover, and thunder cracked in the distance. With dismay, they realized that this was the beginning of a storm, and it wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.

As they waited and wondered what to do, a man passed by carrying a lantern and using a broad leaf in lieu of an umbrella. His back and chest were bare, layer in lean muscle covered with dark skin. He paused at the sight of the travelers and raised an eyebrow at them.

“Hello,” Syaoran said.

“Hello,” the man replied. He didn’t say anything else, just stood there and scratched his head. The group waited for him to leave, but he continued to stare. “You lost?” he finally asked.

“Yes,” Syaoran said.

The man sighed. “Well, come along then.” He started walking. The group took their cues from him and pulled the long stemmed, broad leaves off the tree to shield them from the rain. They trotted to keep up, as the man was fast despite being short.

Rather than a village, he brought them to a house at the base of a large cliff. His house was so covered in greenery that they couldn’t even see it until he brushed some trailing vines aside and opened the door. “Well, come in then,” he said, gesturing for them to go ahead. “I’ll pick some tea herbs and be right along.” And then he vanished into the greenery around the side of the house.

As the most distrustful, Kurogane wasn’t keen on going into a stranger’s house in the middle of nowhere. But the rain continued to pound down, and Syaoran started to shiver. He couldn’t let the boy be cold, so he ventured into the house, keeping an eye open for any trouble.

The others followed him in. It seemed the man lived alone, as there was no sign that anyone else lived in this little house in the middle of nowhere. And he joined them soon enough, a clump of leafy herbs in hand.

“I suppose you can stay here until the storm passes,” he said, eyeing them as he took a kettle down from a hook in the wall. “So long as you don’t make trouble. I got nothing worth stealing, you hear?”

“We don’t steal,” Fai said, cheerfully forgetting that one time in Lecourt.

The man hmphed and tapped his foot while he waited for the tea to boil.

“Is there anyone else nearby?” Syaoran asked when the silence began to wear on him.

The man jerked a shoulder. “There’s a village that a-ways,” he said, stabbing his finger to the left. “A few hours’ walk. Maybe you’ll go there next.”

“You don’t live there?” Kurogane asked. There weren’t enough seats at the table, so he remained standing. He looked relaxed, but he was ready in case of danger.

“Nah.”

“Why not?” Syaoran asked.

“Don’t like ‘em.”

Silence descended, broken in short order by the shrill whistle of the kettle. The man poured out the tea in beautiful ceramic mugs and passed them to his guests.

“Oh, lovely,” Fai said, admiring the bold red flower on his.

That actually got a smile from their host. “Thanks. I make ‘em.”

That got appreciative comments from Syaoran and Fai. The man waved them off, blushing. “Spare room’s through there,” he said, rubbing his nose to hide his embarrassment. “Isn’t much room, but don’t mess it up.”

“We won’t. Thanks, um...?”

“Name’s Will. I’ll be around if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Will.”

As they had clearly been dismissed, the group filed into the spare room with their tea. As Will said, there wasn’t much room, just enough for each of them to lay side-by-side with Mokona snuggled wherever she felt like it. For now they sat in a circle. They weren’t sure what Will had made of Mokona, as she’d been in full view perched on Kurogane’s shoulder. But she hadn’t moved or spoken while they were in the room with him, and he hadn’t given them an extra mug, so maybe he hadn’t noticed her at all. Or he assumed she was a pet.

“Mokona will get everyone dry clothes!” Mokona announced now that they were alone. Without further warning, she spit out some spare outfits she kept in storage for the guys, who changed into them gratefully.

“Thanks, Mokona,” Syaoran said, pulling a dry shirt over his head. He offered Mokona his mug of tea. “Here, want to try some?”

Mokona took a cautious sip. “Oh, it’s spicy!” she said in surprise.

“Yeah. It’s good, though,” Syaoran agreed. Mokona climbed into his lap and settled in, and they took turns sipping from Syaoran’s mug until the tea was all gone.

Fai and Kurogane sat close together while Kurogane tried to towel off Fai’s hair with his discarded wet shirt, since it had never occurred to them to store towels wherever Mokona sent things. Fai kept complaining that Kurogane was being too rough, but let Kurogane do it. Once Fai’s blond hair had stopped dripping and was just damp, Kurogane tried to comb out the tangles he had put into it.

Syaoran had to smother a laugh at the look on Fai’s face as he endured the combing.

While they waited for the storm to stop, they napped on the floor. They had to lie close together, so it was a warm, comforting pile. The rain continued on until the next morning, when sunlight finally began to stream in the window.

Will was kind enough to feed them before sending them on their way, and pointed out the track that would lead them to the village. “Should take about three or four hours to get there, depending on how fast you walk,” he said, leaning on his hoe. Now that they didn’t have to squint through the rain, they could see that he had a tidy little vegetable and herb garden down the side of his house, along with a few chickens pecking at the grass. “Take care now.”

“We will. Thank you for everything,” Syaoran said.

Will grunted, but watched them go. Strange travelers for sure, he thought. But he hoped they found what they were looking for, just like he did. And once they were out of sight, he turned back to his garden.


	18. High Seas

The merpeople had been following their ship for three days now. Syaoran didn’t know how many there were. He had only managed to get a good look at two of them. One was a young mermaid with a long pink tail with frilly translucent fins, and she had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. She liked to swim up to the side of the boat and pull herself up to watch him work. She never spoke - Syaoran wasn’t sure if she could speak, and whenever he said anything to her she would squeak and dive back beneath the waves. He was always sad to see her go, certain that this time she would leave for good, but she was always back to watch him the next morning.

The other was older and male. His tail was longer, and his fins more delicate. His scales were mixed blue and silver that caught the light with an almost metallic gleam. Most often he was seen playing in the wake of the ship, but sometimes he would come up to the side like the girl did.

Syaoran wished he wouldn’t, though, because whenever the merman came up he would inevitably bother the captain.

Like right now.

Syaoran was sitting at the side of the ship with his legs dangling down, showing the mermaid his compass. She appeared fascinated, and kept pointing at the needles as they moved on their own. Syaoran was trying to explain it to her when there was a bellow from the other side of the small vessel. Syaoran and the mermaid both started, and she quickly disappeared beneath the water. Syaoran turned.

“Captain, is there a problem?” he asked, getting to his feet.

Captain Kurogane was dripping water, and there was murder in his eyes. “That blasted _fish_ ,” he growled through clenched teeth. He seized a broom and stabbed it into the water, and the telltale gleam of silvery scales could be made out beneath the water as the blond merman dodged it.

His laughing face surfaced just out of Kurogane’s reach. He had big eyes of unearthly blue. He splashed his tail at Kurogane. It hit the surface of the water with a wet slap, and sent a dollop of water straight into Kurogane’s face.

“I’ll get you a towel,” Syaoran said and retreated below deck before Kurogane could fly into a rage. Even with a layer of wood between them, Syaoran could hear Kurogane’s angry shouts and the sound of him attempting to stab the merman with the broom.

The water fight had not stopped by the time Syaoran returned with a towel for the captain. He held it out to Kurogane, who waved it off. “Save it. I’m gonna catch that damn fish,” he said. For a terrifying moment Syaoran thought the big man was going to fling himself off the side of the boat to wrestle with a merman, but he continued slapping the water where the silver-blue scales could be seen, until the merman got bored and disappeared.

This happened every day that the merpeople followed them, often multiple times. Sometimes it was the mermaid who drew her friend away, and neither of them ever appeared at night. Syaoran would have thought there were only the two of them, but sometimes when the merman would tease Kurogane, he would see the same glittering scales somewhere else in the water. It was never close enough for him to see who or what it belonged to, and whether it was another merperson or a regular fish. And sometimes, when they passed distant rocks, he would see multiple long, graceful bodies sunning themselves on the rocks. He knew the girl was there, because her pink tail was unlike any other sea creature in these parts. The other shapes he couldn’t make out. It could be other merpeople, but it could just as easily be seals or seal lions.

Sometimes he asked Kurogane if he could see better, but Kurogane would only grunt and say he didn’t care about any stupid fish. Shougo would go to find his binoculars, but the time he got back the merpeople would have slipped back into the water.

The weather grew colder as they made the transition from autumn to winter. One morning the girl peeked up while Syaoran was cleaning. “Hello,” he said, smiling at her as he always did.

As usual, the girl didn’t speak, but she held out a pretty pink shell to him. “Oh, that’s lovely,” Syaoran said to her, thinking that she wanted him to admire it.

She shook the shell slightly, staring at him. “Hm?” He didn’t understand.

She placed the shell on the deck, as far forward as she could reach. Then she retracted her arm and looked back up at him.

“Oh. It’s for me?” Syaoran asked.

The mermaid smiled. It was cute, even with her sharp teeth, so unlike a human's. Syaoran came over and picked up the shell. It was smooth on the inside, with little bumps and ridges on the outside, and mixed shades of pink, peach, and white. “Thank you. I’ll treasure it,” he told her.

The girl looked happy. Then she vanished beneath the waves. Syaoran didn’t think anything of it, until she didn’t reappear the next day.

Her blond friend did, to give Kurogane a splash and a kiss on the cheek that made Kurogane blush and sputter with shock. The merman grinned, then he too vanished.

Syaoran often caught himself pausing in his work to stare at the surface of the water, looking for his friend. And while Kurogane pretended not to worry, Syaoran saw how his captain’s head would snap up every time something splashed in the water. When it turned out to be a dolphin or a fish, he always looked disappointed and annoyed.

By the time spring came, they had both stopped looking. Until one morning when Syaoran went to dump a bucket of waste water over the side, and found familiar green eyes staring up at him.

Syaoran was so startled he nearly dropped the bucket, but the girl beamed and heaved herself out of the water to trill at him. “Oh, you’re back,” he said, smiling. “I was worried.”

She flicked her tail happily, and touched the hollow of her throat. Syaoran mimicked the gesture, and felt the smooth shell he had strung on a leather cord and hung there. “Yeah, of course I kept it. You gave it to me,” he told her.

She blushed and ducked under the water until only the top half of her head was poking out, as though shy.

“I have something for you, too,” Syaoran said. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a bracelet of sea glass. He hoped it would fare well under the sea. He held it out to her. “For you. It goes on your... here,” he draped the bracelet over his opposite arm to show her.

She hauled herself back up the side and waved her arm at him. She was so excited that Syaoran had to grab her arm to hold it still long enough for her to clasp the bracelet around her wrist. Her skin was surprisingly cool, and slippery.

While she smiled and admired the bracelet, there was a great splash and a bellow from the other side of the ship.

“YOU GODDAMN ANNOYING FISH!”

But Kurogane didn’t sound as angry as usual.


	19. Video Games

The group was dropped down in the four quadrants in an arena. They had time to blink in surprise, note the rows of spectators, which seemed to be a mix of toadstools, chocolate chips, and ghost-like creatures, and the fact that there was a massive, steaming pizza between them before the host whizzed in front of them on a floating platform.

“Welcome to today’s mini game!” he roared into the mic. “Our four contestants will compete to see who can eat the most pizza in the given time frame. Are you ready?”

There was no time to answer, because a screen lit up with the number 3.

3...

2...

1...

“START!”

Stressed by this strange turn of events but anxious to comply, Syaoran began to rip off handfuls of pizza and stuff it in his mouth as fast as he could, praying that this wasn’t some sort of trap and that he wasn’t about to be poisoned. Kurogane remained frozen in confusion for too long and lost five seconds of precious time while the other three stuffed their faces. Luckily the pizza was only lukewarm, so it didn’t burn.

“Mokona will help!” Mokona announced, appearing on Sakura’s shoulder.

“Eh?” Sakura asked as Mokona’s mouth opened wide. A strong wind pulled the massive pizza off the floor and into Mokona’s mouth, where it vanished as Mokona gulped.

“Uh.”

While everyone stared in shock, the host dropped down next to Sakura and lifted her arm. “WINNER!”

“But, I didn’t-” Sakura said, trying to explain, but the audience was cheering and seemed to view Mokona as part of Sakura.

“Onto the next game!” the host cried.

The floor dropped out beneath them. Sakura shrieked. Syaoran called her name and lunged for her hand, grabbing it just as they all landed in a giant book.

“Okay, what happens now?” Kurogane asked as the countdown began.

“Don’t get squished!” was the host's only explanation.

Squished?

The opposite page began to turn. The group realized it was going to drop on them, but there was no way to get off the book. An invisible wall kept them trapped. Syaoran pounded on it, frantic to save Sakura.

“Oh, there!” Fai said. He pointed upward. There were cutouts in the page above them. He positioned himself so that he would go through a star cutout when the page dropped. Kurogane seized Syaoran and Sakura and moved so that the three of them plus Mokona would go through a crescent moon.

The first few pages were easy, but then they began to flip faster and faster. Sakura still didn’t have enough of her memories back, and she was soon dripping sweat and fatigued. Syaoran pulled her along with him, dashing from safe space to safe space as the pages turned. Kurogane and Fai did fine on their own, until the page turned and Fai was on the opposite side of the book from any of the cutouts.

Fai’s eyes widened in alarm as the shadow of the page fell over him. This was not how he thought it would end. Squashed between the pages of a book as if he were a fruit fly.

“White meat bun!” Kurogane snapped, holding out his hand.

Souhi, Kurogane’s sword, came flying out of Mokona’s mouth and into Kurogane’s hand. Kurogane raised it and slashed the book in half just before it would have crushed Fai.

The heavy page disintegrated into harmless scraps of paper, which rained down gently.

“WINNER!” the host yelled into the sudden silence, making everyone jump.

“Oi, that doesn’t count as cheating?” Kurogane tried to ask him, but didn’t seem to be heard over the cheering. Kurogane grumbled. “Damn, if I’d known that was all it took, I’d have cut the damn book in the beginning.”

Fai laughed. “Thanks Kuro-rin! You saved me!” he said, which Kurogane ignored.

The ground disappeared again, but this time they were ready for the drop. They were not prepared to land on a sheet of ice, though, and everyone but Fai immediately fell on their faces. Fai skidded across the surface, flailing his arms, before coming to a stop. “Hyuu,” he said, attempting to whistle. “I didn’t bring any skates!”

Kurogane got to his feet with caution, holding his arms out for balance. Syaoran attempted to get up, but his feet kept flying from beneath him. Seeing this, Sakura stayed kneeling on the ice.

There was a faint rumbling, and four large balls of snow rolls up to the edge of the frozen pond. “I wonder what happens next,” Fai said. As if on cue, stick arms protruded from the side of the balls, and each of them grew a head. “Oh. Well.”

“Ready? START!”

The snowmen armed themselves with snowballs and threw them. Sakura couldn’t get up in time, and she and Mokona were hit dead on and frozen in a block of ice.

“Sakura!” Syaoran yelled, horrified. He dove for her, and took a snowball to the chest. He froze as well.

Realizing that this might be serious, Fai and Kurogane slid around on the ice as they tried to avoid the snowballs. Kurogane had his ninja training, but he wasn’t used to ice and kept slipping. Fai was from a cold country, and he moved like he was born on ice. Kurogane tried to deflect a snowball with the sword he still held, and that seemed to count as a hit. He froze in a block of ice while Fai watched with dismay.

“WINNER!”

To Fai’s relief, upon him being declared the winner, his friends began to defrost rapidly. Syaoran landed on his knees beside Sakura and asked if she was all right. Kurogane just looked grumpy. He didn’t like to use.

The ground fell. But this time, the falling didn’t stop.

The pressure from from the wind pushed against them. “What are we supposed to do here?” Syaoran asked.

“Catch the coins!” the host said before drifting away. “START!”

“Syaoran!” Mokona called. She was still clinging to Sakura’s shoulder, and her eyes were opened wide. “I sense a feather!”

“So there might be a feather mixed in with the coins,” Fai said.”

“I’ll definitely catch it,” Syaoran said. He pulled his goggles forward so that they covered his eyes, which stung from the rapid descent.

Sakura was too exhausted to help, but the others grabbed at coins like their lives depended on it. Fai and Kurogane fared best, as Syaoran’s blindness in his right eye threw off his depth perception.

“It’s getting closer!” Mokona called.

And then Syaoran saw it.

The feather floated among the coins as though it had simply been overlooked by whoever had come up with whatever the hell the group was doing. Syaoran was closest, but it was on his right side. There was nothing he could push off of to move into a more favourable position. He could only do his best.

He grasped at it as he plummeted, and his fingers closed around the feather. Almost immediately, Mokona’s wings opened up and pulled them into the next world before they could hit the ground.


	20. Fairytales

A long time ago, in a country far away, there lived a princess. The princess had a father, a mother, an older brother, and a beloved childhood friend. The princess’ name was Sakura, and everyone loved her for her beauty and kindness. If someone was in trouble, she would try to help them. And even if she could not help, her brilliant smile would warm their hearts. Everyone in her kingdom loved her, but it was her dear friend Syaoran who treasured her most of all.

On Princess Sakura’s fourteenth birthday, an evil wizard came to her country. The king and queen welcomed him, for they were kind people and they did not know what harm he brought. In exchange for their hospitality, the wizard stole the princess’ magic and vanished into the night. The princess collapsed, very weak, and it was soon discovered that the wizard had taken her memories along with her magic. Memories are part of a person’s soul, and so the priest warned the king and queen that the princess would never be whole again unless her memories were recovered.

Syaoran told the king and queen that he would undertake the journey to fight the wizard and get Sakura’s memories back. The priest said that the princess would have to accompany him on the journey, as memories were fragile things, and Syaoran did not have the power or skill to bring them back safely. If Sakura was with him, the memories could be placed back into her body as soon as they were recovered.

So Syaoran and Sakura set out. The wizard had left no clues as to where he came from or where he was going, but Syaoran had heard rumours of a northern country that had been ravaged by an evil wizard. And so the pair headed north to search for clues.

The journey out of their desert country was long, for Sakura could not endure long hours on horseback in her fragile state.

On the seventh day since their journey began, the pair was beset by bandits. Syaoran was no swordsman, but he was trained in a kicking technique by a traveller many years ago. He put the princess behind him and tried to fight off the bandits, but there were five of them and one of him.

Suddenly, a warrior on a shining black horse thundered down the hill. It seemed to Syaoran that he slew all the bandits with one slash of his sword. He was a massive man, with hair as dark as a crow’s wing and eyes the red of fresh blood.

“Thank you for saving us,” Syaoran said, but he kept his body between his princess and their savior.

The man dismounted his horse and marched closer. Syaoran and Sakura flinched back as the warrior yanked a length of cloth out of Syaoran’s pocket. On it was the symbol of a bat, which Syaoran had torn from the evil wizard’s cloak before he escaped.

“Do you work for this man?” the warrior demanded, waving the cloth in Syaoran’s face.

“No. We are on a quest to recover something he stole from my princess,” Syaoran replied.

It seemed the warrior had encountered the evil wizard as well. The warrior was from a small town in the east, called Suwa. A number of years ago, the evil wizard approached his parents, the Lord and Lady of Suwa, and demanded that they give him a precious artifact, an ancient sword of great power that had been gifted to their ancestors by a dragon. The Lord and Lady refused, and were able to repel his attack. In retaliation, the evil wizard summoned waves of monsters to attack their land.

The Lady had powerful magic of her own, and the Lord was a great warrior. With the help of their magic sword, they were withstand the monsters’ attacks for many years. Eventually the toll became too great, and the Lord and Lady both perished. The rest of the town fell thereafter, leaving the Lord and Lady's son as the only survivor.

He was now on a journey for vengeance. He was reluctant to ally himself with Syaoran and Sakura, but did so as they had a common goal. He told them to call him Kurogane.

Now a trio, they continued their journey north. The weather became colder, and the terrain grew steep. They had to stop in a village to buy warm cloaks before pressing on.

On the way through a mountain pass, they were attacked by a magician. Fire fell from the sky, and Syaoran’s horse reared, nearly throwing him and Princess Sakura to the ground. Kurogane deflected the next blast with his magic sword, Ginryu, and the reflected fire forced the magician from his hiding place. He tumbled to the ground, holding his burned shoulder.

Kurogane leveled his sword at him. “Who are you?” he demanded.

The magician grimaced and got to his feet. He was blond and clad all in blue and white. Rather than answering, the faint glow of magic emanated from his spread fingers. Kurogane leaped out of the way, and Syaoran tackled Sakura out of danger. Part of the spell clipped his leg, and Syaoran grimaced with pain. He kept a tight grip on his princess, ready to defend her at all costs, but he wasn’t sure he could stand on that leg.

Despite managing to incapacitate one of them, the magician didn’t look happy. His guilt distracted him enough for Kurogane to leap in and cut a thin slice across his chest. The magician retreated, wounded. After gathering themselves, the group pressed on.

They stopped for the night at an inn run by a smiling man and his reserved wife. “What brings you to these parts?” The innkeeper, Sorata, asked over dinner. The dining room was almost empty. Sorata had told them that they got very few travelers through these parts, and the locals mostly stayed at home. They were all afraid of the evil wizard.

Syaoran explained the purpose of their quest. Sorata nodded and examined the bit of cloth Syaoran held out, which was their only clue.

“It sounds to me like you’re looking for Fei Wang Reed,” Sorata said. “Nobody really knows where he came from, but he showed up here about a decade ago and started throwing his weight around. We’ve had warriors and sorcerers come up to try and stop him, but he’s just too powerful! He also got our king on his side, and now anyone who stands against them is looking at execution or life in the dungeons.”

“How terrible,” Sakura said. She was sagging from exhaustion, but had refused to go to bed no matter how hard Syaoran protested. She wanted to know what was going on. She wanted to be helpful. Even as frail as she was with her memories missing, her heart was still kind and strong. When Arashi draped a thick throw over her shoulders, Sakura gave her a tired smile.

Kurogane was silent for most of the conversation. He spoke up now. “What about a blond magician?” he asked. “Know anything about him?”

Arashi straightened. “The one in blue?” she asked. Kurogane nodded. “I’ve heard of him. The neighbouring country has twin princes who are powerful magicians. They came here to help defeat Fei Wang Reed, but it seems one of them was captured. Fei Wang Reed is holding him hostage to force his brother to do his bidding.”

“So he just wants his brother back,” Syaoran said.

“It seems that way, yes.”

“So if we help him save his brother, he might help us,” Sakura said. Everyone looked to the princess, who sat straighter in her chair. “Do you know anything about where he might be held?”

“Well, yes... but it’s very dangerous,” Sorata said reluctantly. He glanced at his wife, who nodded. “There’s a tower farther north. The land is cursed, and I heard it’s guarded by a dragon.”

Arashi had magic of her own, and she assured the group that she was certain the other prince was imprisoned in the tower. She could sense him. She could also sense his brother wandering around searching for him whenever he wasn’t at Fei Wang Reed’s beck and call. She gave them a map and a bag, but cautioned them not to open it ‘except at their time of greatest need’.

The group left early the next morning. They travelled on uneventfully, but as they began to see the tower in the distance, that land grew silent and strange. The plants grew brown and brittle. There was no sound of animals or birds in the trees. Not even the wind disturbed the naked branches. Until the air was split with a loud roar.

Syaoran’s horse screamed as a large scaly body cut through the air above the group. The force of the wind in its wake forced the horses back a step. Syaoran dismounted to calm his horse, but Kurogane’s was a warrior’s mount and was trained to have nerves of steel.

Kurogane drew his sword and turned his horse to face the dragon as it rounded for a second pass. Its talons were almost as long as his body.

“Kurogane-san, it’s too dangerous!” Syaoran protested.

But Kurogane’s family were originally dragon slayers until they made a pact with their patron dragon, and Kurogane did not fear dragons. He swung his sword aloft and called out the name of his technique, “Hama Ryuu-ou Jin!”

Heavily wounded but not dead, the dragon plummeted to the earth. The ground shook from the force of its weight. Kurogane waited, sword at the ready, but the dragon did not attempt to attack again. Instead, it spoke.

“That sword...” the dragon said in a voice the was a mix of a hiss and a growl. “You are a child of the Suwa clan, are you not?”

“Yes. I am the only survivor of the Suwa clan,” Kurogane said.

“I see. Perhaps you can help me. I have been bound here by a wizard who forces me to guard the tower. If you cut the band around my wrist, I will be free.” The dragon stretched out its left wrist, which was bound with an iron manacle. “Only a blade such as yours, which was forged in the fire of dragons, can cut it.”

Kurogane cut through the manacle with one swipe of his blade, and the dragon was free to go. Before it left, it gave Kurogane a dragon scale in gratitude. “This will allow you to pass through the wards around the tower,” the dragon explained. “Without it, you won’t be able to proceed further than this.”

The dragon scale was bigger than Kurogane’s hand. The travelers split it into three parts, and each wore theirs on a cord around their neck in order to approach the tower.

If there was anything else assigned to the tower, it seemed too afraid to approach after seeing Kurogane dispatch the dragon so easily.

The tower was so tall that they could not see the top from the base. There also was no door in sight, though they walked around the base twice in search of one. They did, however, find a bell, which Princess Sakura rang before anyone could stop her.

A long golden rope woven of exceptionally fine material dropped from the top of the tower. The end stopped a couple inches above the ground. The group puzzled over it.

“Are we supposed to climb it?” Sakura wondered.

It was decided that Syaoran would be the one to climb it, as Kurogane had dealt with the dragon. Kurogane gave him a little dagger that Syaoran clipped onto his belt before he began to climb.

The ascent seemed to take forever. Syaoran climbed up and up and up, until he was among the clouds. He didn’t dare look down for fear that the great height would make him dizzy. Eventually he came upon a little window near the top of the tower, and he slipped inside.

The magician stood patiently beside the window. Syaoran was so startled that he nearly fell out at the sight of him, and the magician had to grab his arm and haul him inside. The shining golden rope was his hair, coiled in a tight braid and then wound around a hook by the door for Syaoran to climb up. He stared at Syaoran.

“You aren’t who I expected at all,” he said.

Syaoran squared his shoulders. “I’m here to rescue you. Your brother is looking for you.”

At the mention of his brother, the magician’s caution softened. “Yuui is? I’ve heard him calling me. I want to go to him, but I can’t get out of the tower. I could climb down using my hair, but I don’t have anything to cut it with.”

So Syaoran cut through the magician’s long golden hair, and after making sure it was tied securely to the hook, the two climbed down.

The magician’s name was Fai. He confirmed that he and his brother Yuui had come to this land at the request of the king to help fight Fei Wang Reed, but by the time they arrived, the king had fallen under Fei Wang Reed’s influence and Fai was captured.

The castle wasn’t marked on the map that Arashi had given them, but Fai knew the way. The castle was hidden with spells and enchantments that would have been impossible for the group to get through without a magician in the party. They had reached the final obstacle, a thorny wall of briars, when there was a sudden cry.

“Fai!”

It was the other magician. He ran and embraced his brother, and they both cried. Now that he no longer had reason to follow Fei Wang Reed, Yuui was happy to tell the group where to find the evil wizard.

But first, they had to fight the king.

King Ashura had been driven mad by the dark magic Fei Wang Reed cast over his kingdom. Perhaps there could have been a way to save him, but Yuui and Fai said that it was outside of their abilities. After a difficult battle, the king was defeated.

The group advanced further into the castle as it crumbled around them. It seemed that the castle was tied to King Ashura’s life, and now that he was dead, it fell to pieces. Princess Sakura could run no further, and so Kurogane carried her in one arm and wielded his sword with the other. They had to hurry. If Fei Wang Reed fled before they found him, they would have to start their search from the beginning.

They found the wizard standing before a magic mirror. Rather than showing his reflection, it showed a lush green land. “Stop him!” Yuui cried. “It will take him to another country!”

Syaoran launched himself forward. Fei Wang Reed ducked his kick, but he was not the target. Syaoran shattered the mirror with a mighty blow, sending shards scattering in every direction while Fei Wang Reed howled his fury. He cast a wide spell intended to kill the group. Yuui shielded the others while Fai counterattacked.

Fei Wang Reed’s next attack sent Fai skidding across the floor. He hit the wall and lay still as his brother screamed his name. Kurogane was forced to put the princess down and help with the fight.

In the same motion that Kurogane stabbed Fei Wang Reed through the heart, the wizard severed Kurogane’s left arm. Kurogane went down in a torrent of blood, and Syaoran knelt to attempt to stem it with his cloak.

Without Fei Wang Reed’s magic to bind them, Sakura’s magic and memories took the form of feathers and looked like they were about to scatter in all directions. The two magicians could not stop them, because Fai was incapacitated and Yuui was tending to his brother.

Sakura remembered the bag Arashi had entrusted to her, and the instructions to use it when she would need it most. She pulled hard on the drawstring, and the bag opened wide. A white creature came out, it’s long white ears streaming behind it as it flew to the centre of the room.

Syaoran recognized it as a bunny-like faerie creature from stories his father used to tell him. His father had said that such a creature was called a Mokona, and it had the power to go anywhere in the world. Some said it might even have the power to take you to a different world, any world you liked.

The creature breathed in. And in and in. It sucked up the feathers, and then it sucked up the adventurers as well. It wrapped them cozily in its white wings just as the remainder of the castle crashed down.

When the group came to, they were in the infirmary in Clow Country. Mokona had acted as a holding container for Sakura’s memories, and with help from the priest, was able to return them to Sakura’s body. The princess’ recovery was instant, and she remembered everything, including that Syaoran was her most precious person in the world, and not just a companion for her trip.

Kurogane and Fai both lived, though Kurogane would forever be without his arm and the blow to Fai’s back had cost him the use of his legs. Queen Nadeshiko said with regret that it was beyond her to cure either. In gratitude for helping save their daughter, the King and Queen offered Kurogane, Yuui, and Fai a permanent home in Clow Country, as well as a place of honour in the castle whenever they came to visit, which they did often. Fai liked to show off the fancy chair he and his brother had built to help him get around, and they even made a clockwork arm for Kurogane, though he didn’t like it so much as his real one.

The End.


	21. Free Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ties in with Chapters 6 and 16

Fai was so exhausted from crying that Kurogane had to carry him back to the room. He buried his face in Kurogane’s shoulder for the long walk. Syaoran kept reaching up to rub Fai’s arm to comfort and let Fai know that he was still there.

Once they were back at the room, Kurogane pulled Fai’s boots, gloves, and coat off and tucked him into bed. Although he was normally a belly sleeper, Fai curled up on his side. He was aware of the other three moving around the room and talking quietly among themselves, but he didn’t focus on the words. All he could think about was that his brother was still trapped in the valley. Even death had not freed him. And so much time had passed. Valeria had developed so much technology. What was he waiting for?

“What the hell-” Kurogane exclaimed, diving for his sword. Fai sat up in time to see Syaoran flinch back in surprise, and for a transparent body to wink out of existence in the corner of the room.

“Fai?”

* * *

They had seen him!

Fai clasped his hands, more excited than he had been in years - possibly ever! He wasn’t able to make Yuui see him at the valley. He had been too upset to focus properly, and it did take an enormous amount of effort. But Yuui had been so distraught when he thought Fai didn’t answer his call that Fai couldn’t bear it, so Fai followed Yuui and his friends back to the little room they were staying in.

Fai didn’t know why Yuui had come back to Valeria. He shouldn’t have. And he intended to tell Yuui so, but first he had to make it so that Yuui could see and hear him.

So he focused with all his might, forcing his form as solid as he could get it. He could feel his outline wavering, but the big, dark skinned man jumped as though something bit him and grabbed for a sword. Fai was so startled by his success that he lost his concentration. He knew he had disappeared to their eyes because the big man still had his sword out but had frozen in place.

And Yuui.

Yuui was sitting up on the bed, staring at the spot where Fai was. There was disbelief and uncertainty in his face, as though he wasn’t sure he had actually seen what he thought he saw.

There was no way Fai could concentrate while seeing how hurt Yuui was, so he closed his eyes. Yuui wasn’t the ghost. He would not disappear when Fai wasn’t looking.

He had heard from other local ghosts that only powerful ghosts could make themselves visible to those who did not possess the ability to see spirits. He had never tried because he preferred to be left alone, but he wanted Yuui to see him. It seemed he fit into the powerful category.

“Fai!”

Yuui launched himself off the bed and knelt in front of Fai. Fai opened his eyes, and knew the instant he disappeared from Yuui’s sight from the dismay that crossed his brother’s face.

This was more difficult than he thought.

“Can you see me now?” he asked when Yuui looked relieved.

“Yes,” Yuui said, voice full of wonder. He tried to touch Fai, but his hand passed through. After all, Fai did not have a body.

Fai looked at his own hands. He didn’t look any different to himself, but there must be some change. He closed his fingers. “Sorry. It’s hard to make myself visible. I don’t think I can make myself solid enough to touch,” he said.

“That’s okay!” Yuui said. He was crying again. He had cried next to the valley too. Fai didn’t want him to cry, and he couldn’t even wipe the tears away. “I just- You’re here, and-”

Behind Yuui, the big man huffed and set the sword aside. He wouldn’t have been able to hurt Fai, but Fai still felt better now that he didn’t have a weapon in his hands. He was very large.

He and the shorter brown haired boy were approaching with caution.

Despite what Fai said, Yuui tried to touch him again. Fai smiled even as Yuui’s face crumpled. “I’m sorry, Yuui, but I’m so happy to see you.”

Maybe he would try. For Yuui, who was still crying. The big dark man looked like he wanted to put his hand on Yuui’s shoulder. He was staring at Yuui like he mattered to him. That pleased Fai.

Fai poured all of his energy into his hands. It was hard to do, especially while he remained visible. When he thought he had it, he reached out and clasped on of Yuui’s hands with both of his.

He did it! He could feel Yuui’s skin. It was an odd sensation, and not at all what holding hands had felt like when he was alive.

Yuui’s eyes widened and he squeezed Fai’s hand hard until Fai couldn’t maintain his solidity anymore.

“Are you all right?” Yuui asked as Fai’s hands went through his.

Fai hated to see the worry flood his brother’s face. “Yes. It’s difficult to make myself solid, so I can’t do it for more than a few minutes,” Fai said.

“Okay,” Yuui said. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. A small white creature hopped onto Yuui’s shoulder. It was holding a handkerchief in its paws, which it used to dab at Yuui’s face.

“A rabbit?” Fai asked, since that was the closest creature he could think of that looked like this one.

That got a smile out of Yuui, a smile that broadened as the white creature finished its task and turned to Fai. “Mokona is Mokona! Nice to meet you!” it said. Mokona tried to shake Fai’s hand, but it didn’t work. “Oh right. Mokona forgot,” it said when its hand passed through Fai’s fingers.

Fai’s face softened into a smile. How cute! “Are you Yuui’s friend?” he asked, miming the action of a handshake to please the small creature.

“Yes!” Mokona replied with enthusiasm. “Everyone travels together. We’re all good friends with Fai- er, I mean, Yuui.”

Fai remembered the conversation he’d had with the vampire twins some time ago. He looked up at Yuui, who had tensed up. “You’ve been using my name, right? I don’t mind.”

Yuui blinked. “I- yes, but, how did you know?” he asked, faltering.

“A while back, a pair of vampires came here,” Fai said. “Twins, like us. They could see me. They said they met you in... well, I don’t remember the country. But they said that your eye was eaten and you got turned into a vampire.” Fai frowned thoughtfully, realizing for the first time that Yuui did have both of his eyes. Unless the vampires had met a different Yuui? Or the timeline was messed up? Fai wasn’t quite sure how this multiple world thing worked, but he knew the Yuui that was here with him was his Yuui.

“Kamui and Subaru?” That was the brown haired-boy. He seemed surprised.

“Yes, that’s all true,” Yuui said. “I got my eye and my magic back, and when that happened, I stopped being a vampire.”

That sounded too outlandish to be true, but Yuui wouldn’t lie. It must be true.

“...Will you tell me the names of your other friends?” Fai asked, glancing over Yuui’s shoulder at the other two.

Yuui jolted, with guilt, Fai thought. “Oh, of course! I’m sorry,” he said. He was getting upset again, which wasn’t what Fai wanted. “The big guy is Kurogane, and the brown-haired boy is Syaoran-kun.”

Fai stared at them. He decided that they looked kind, and Kamui and Subaru had told him that Yuui’s companions had worked to save his life.

“Thank you for taking care of my brother for me,” said Fai. “I can’t be by his side, so I’m glad that someone is.”

Yuui made a choking sound, but Fai could feel his form weakening. He had reached the limit for how long he could be away from the valley.

Yuui’s eyes widened with alarm and he made a useless grab for Fai, so his shape must be slipping. “No! Don’t go!” Yuui pleaded.

Fai’s heart broke. “I’m a location bound ghost,” he told Yuui. “I can only leave the valley for so long, and it’s pulling me back.”

Yuui was still trying and failing to grab Fai’s hand. “But if I go to the valley, I can see you?” he asked, frantic.

“Maybe. I don’t know. It takes a lot of energy to make myself visible like this. And I made myself solid, too. I don’t know how long it will take for me to recover enough to do it again.” The pulling was growing more insistent. “Yuui! Don’t forget. I love you. I love you. I-”

Fai was _yanked._ That was the only way to describe the sensation as his soul hurtled back to the valley. The city whizzed by in a dizzying blur of shapes and colours until he was in the monochrome white and grey of the valley again. Fai covered his face with his hands. He had wanted to reassure Yuui more. But he took comfort in the fact that at least he had not left Yuui alone.

* * *

He collapsed on the floor when his brother vanished. He didn’t cry. He couldn’t. It felt like he’d been wrung dry from all the tears he’d shed today. After a moment, Kurogane laid a hand on his shoulder. The gesture was tentative, as though Kurogane wasn’t sure whether the contact would be comforting to Fai or upset him further.

When Fai didn’t shake him off, Kurogane put his other hand on Fai’s opposite shoulder and helped him to his feet. “Come on. Time to sleep,” he said.

Fai didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to go find Fai! But he was too emotionally drained and physically exhausted to argue, and let Kurogane lead him to the bed and tuck him in. Although Mokona usually slept with Syaoran, tonight she cuddled up next to Fai’s face on the pillow. He was grateful for the extra warmth and comfort. He could go find Fai tomorrow. Tomorrow. He closed his eyes and hoped he hadn’t dreamed the whole thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Yuui wouldn't lie," Fai thinks, with no idea how much lying Yuui has done since they parted.


	22. Natural Wonders

“Wow, amazing!” Mokona said.

The group arrived in a new world to find themselves surrounded by enormous stone pillars. Each pillar had a larger block of stone sitting on top, attached to the pillar. The pillars were striped, showing the different layers of stone that formed them.

Fai loosed a clumsy attempt at an appreciative whistle. While he had finally figured out how to whistle in Lecourt, it always took him several attempts to produce a strong, clear sound. “It really is,” he agreed with Mokona, who was perched on his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Me neither.” Kurogane was eyeing the pillars with suspicion. Syaoran figured that Kurogane either thought that the hat-like formation at the top of the pillars were going to fall off and crush them or that enemies would appear from between the pillars and attack their group. “Kid?”

Syaoran smiled, though it was a wistful one. He didn’t have his other self’s passion for such things, and at time like this he really wished the other Syaoran was here to see what he saw. And while he may not be able to remember historical facts like the other Syaoran, this at least he recognized.

“I’ve seen these once before. Through the other me,” Syaoran said. He placed a gloved hand on the stone of the closest pillar. He could feel its warmth even through the fabric. Despite himself, he smiled at the memory. “The country just to the east of Clow Country had lots of these things. They considered them sacred. Syaoran went there with his father.”

It had been a good memory for the other Syaoran. He wondered if the other Syaoran still remembered it, wherever he was.

A hand on his shoulder startled him into looking up. It was Fai, here to comfort him. “Thank you,” Syaoran told him. “I’m okay.”

Once he’d regained his composure, Syaoran continued. “That country called them hoodoos. I’m not sure what this country calls them, but they form naturally through erosion.”

“Wind and water?” Mokona asked.

“Yes, and sometimes ice as well, depending on the location,” Syaoran confirmed. He didn’t remember the rest of the information that the other Syaoran had learned about hoodoos, but it didn’t matter.

“They sure are beautiful,” Fai said. He still had his hand on Syaoran’s shoulder, as though he wasn’t convinced by Syaoran’s assurances that he was fine.

Kurogane was kicking a hoodoo, to Syaoran’s concern. The other Syaoran might have been upset, but Syaoran guessed that Kurogane was satisfying his curiosity by making sure they weren’t about to fall over.

“They’re big,” was Kurogane’s verdict when the hoodoo he’d targeted remained standing. It might be Syaoran’s imagination, but Kurogane looked a bit disappointed.

That got a genuine laugh out of Syaoran. “Yeah, they sure are!”

And the hoodoos were exceptional when they made camp and night fell, the stars brilliant between the towering stone.


	23. Shigatsu Tsuitachi Co. LTD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I confess that I had to Google today's prompt to see what it was about, and from what I understand it's an office AU. So this is what I came up with (an AU of an AU). Thank you to my lovely Charmy for being my sounding board whenever I get stuck <3

Every year on April 1st, a strange store would appear somewhere in the bustling streets of Tokyo. The shop wasn’t always the same thing - one year it was a florists, the next year it was a stationery store. Everyone who noticed it swore the store wasn’t there the previous day, and if you tried to find it again on April 2nd, it would have vanished as though it never existed in the first place.

Nobody knew much about the strange store that existed for only a single day and that never appeared in the same location twice, but one boy made it his mission to find it every year.

Vampire teen Subaru was looking for someone. And for some reason Seishirou always appeared and disappeared with the Shigatsu Tsuitachi store.

His twin brother Kamui thought he was stupid and that Subaru should just dump the bastard, but he always tagged along. He claimed it was for Subaru’s protection.

So when the clock struck midnight and it became April 1st, they began their search. Like every year, Kamui hoped they wouldn’t find the store. But like every year, they did.

Kamui was the one who spotted the cute little cafe nestled between a Korean barbecue place and a book store. It was morning rush hour, and with the amount of foot traffic Kamui almost didn’t see the small sign out front.

Shigatsu Tsuitachi Cafe! (Cats coming soon!)

He knew Subaru hadn’t seen it. Kamui didn’t want to point it out. That guy was no good, and Subaru was better off without him. But he worried that if he didn’t tell Subaru and Subaru found out later, he would be angry. Or worse, sink into a deep depression like the first time that guy disappeared.

Kamui didn’t want that.

So he stopped Subaru with a tap on the arm and pointed.

It took a second for Subaru to see what Kamui was pointing at. When he did, his dark eyes lit up. The next instant his face went white with dread as he realized that now that he had found the store, he would have to go in.

It was the same every year. He was good at the anticipation, the planning, the looking up vacant to storefronts to guess where the store might pop up this year and creating a search pattern based on it. But when the actual moment came, his natural shyness and anxiety caught up with him. After all, it had been an entire year since he last saw Seishirou. Maybe he wouldn’t want to see Subaru.

Maybe he’d have forgotten Subaru entirely.

But Subaru wanted to see him.

So Subaru squared his shoulders and crossed at the light. When he pushed the cafe door open, Kamui was right on his heels. A little bell tinkled overhead, announcing their entry, and Subaru’s nose was hit with the strong scents of flowers, baked good, and tea.

“Welcome!” a cheery voice called as Subaru’s vampire eyes adjusted to the brighter artificial light. “Oh, it’s Subaru-san and Kamui-san! Long time no see!”

“Good morning, Sakura-san,” Subaru said shyly. Last year she had been dressed in a simple black uniform, but today she was wearing a frilly white apron over a ruffled pink dress with a big white bow at the throat to match the cutesy decor of the cafe. If Subaru had to guess, he would have put had at fourteen years old. But like him, the years didn’t seem to touch her.

It was the same for the others who worked at this mysterious store.

Subaru looked around while Sakura-san guided them to a table, allowing Kamui to pass him. The cafe’s interior matched Sakura-san’s fluffy pink and white aesthetic. The other server, Syaoran, was dressed in a pink button up shirt with a grey vest and trousers. His tie was white, like Sakura-san’s bow. He was serving some faces taht Subaru recognized from previous years, and he waved to Ryuu-ou and Yuzuriha, who both waved back enthusiastically.

But Seishirou was nowhere in sight.

Subaru’s spirits plummeted and he stared at the lacy tablecloth as Sakura-san handed out the menus. “Just call me once you’re ready to odrer!” she said, and flitted away to welcome the next customers.

As soon as she was gone, Kamui kicked Subaru under the table. Subaru looked over at him in surprise. Kamui was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression both bored and annoyed.

“Don’t sulk yet,” Kamui said. “They’ve got to have a kitchen in this place, right? Maybe that guy is back there.”

Reassured, Subaru smiled. “You’re right,” he said. He couldn’t give up hope yet. It was too soon.

A middle-aged woman sitting nearby had ordered a full-size cake for herself. As she moved to cut a piece, the cake exploded. Kamui and Subaru both flinched as gobs of icing splattered their table.

The woman screamed in surprise as a round white creature burst from the cake. “Hi! I’m Mokona! Nice to meet you shake!” the rabbit-like creature cheered as it held out a paw to the woman, who screamed again.

“What is the meaning of this!” she yelled at Syaoran.

“What is the meaning of this!” Mokona echoed in a sing-song voice. Her chant was picked up by the other Mokona, identical except for colour. The pair held hands and continued to chant as they danced in a circle around the ruined cake.

“Why was there an animal in my cake?” the woman demanded.

Syaoran was beginning to look flustered. “I- but, that’s what you ordered,” he said.

The woman laid into him. “I did not! Who would order animal in a cake? This is disgusting!”

People were staring. Sakura-san was clutching her stack of menus to her chest and staring at Syaoran like she wanted to help him, but she had just been called over to take an order for a big table.

As the woman continued to shout, Syaoran’s identical twin brother Tsubasa slipped out of the kitchen in a chef’s outfit. Tsubasa came to stand behind Syaoran and put a supportive hand on his shoulder. He was smiling, but Subaru could see the anger simmering underneath. Or maybe he just knew it was there when it wasn’t visible. After all, he too had a protective twin brother.

“Ma’am, you ordered the Birthday Surprise. Is that right?” Tsubasa smoothly interrupted the woman’s tirade.

“Yes, I-” the woman began, turning to rip into her new target.

“Well, as it clearly states in the menu,” Tsubasa said, taking the menu off the woman’s table and flipping to the correct page, “That Mokona will leap out of the cake to sing happy birthday to you. By ordering this cake you agreed to that.”

“You agreed!” the Mokona’s chanted, continuing their dance in the opposite direction. “You agreed! You agreed!”

The woman sputtered. The next thing that came out of her mouth was, “Bring me your manager!”

Syaoran and Tsubasa exchanged a look. Syaoran still looked nervous, but Tsubasa didn’t leave him. Tsubasa raised his voice. “Kimihiro!”

Watanuki stuck his head out of the kitchen. “Yeah?” He was related to Tsubasa and Syaoran somehow, but Subaru wasn’t sure of the exact link.

“Please ask Sakura-chan to come out when she has a minute.”

Subaru was distracted from what happened next by the tinkling of the bell over the door. It was Seishirou, and he was carrying a large crate.

Subaru stood up so fast he almost knocked his chair over. “Seishirou-san!”

Seishirou peered at Subaru over his glasses, and Subaru’s heart rate picked up. Nerves. He was oblivious to everyone except Seishirou. He was even oblivious to the low rumbling growl coming from Kamui.

There was a beat before Seishirou smiled during which Subaru’s anxiety nearly sent him through the ceiling. “Subaru! How are you?” Seishirou asked. He set the crate on a nearby unoccupied table. The crate was making noise. There was something inside, something alive. Possibly several somethings.

“I’m well,” Subaru said, flushing with pleasure. “It’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

“Hm. Well enough, I suppose,” Seishirou replied.

Kamui had stopped growling and was squinting suspiciously at the crate. There were definitely several somethings moving around in there. “What’s in the crate?” Kamui asked.

“Cats. For the cat cafe,” Seishirou said.

Kamui and Subaru both blinked, then looked back at the crate.

It was a very big crate.

“How many cats?” Subaru asked at the same time Kamui said, “Must be some large cats.”

Whatever Seishirou’s response was going to be was interrupted by a shriek so high and shrill that the cats in the crate went silent.

“Is this a joke?!”

The three stopped their conversation and turned. The drama on the other end of the store was still playing out. The woman who had demanded the manager had finally got her, but still wasn’t happy.

The manager of Shigatsu Tsuitachi was Sakura-chan, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Sakura-san. She also appeared to be ten years old. This seemed to be what the woman was upset about now.

“I’m the owner of this store,” Sakura-chan said with her characteristic bright smile. “I understand that you had some concerns about a cake?”

The woman sputtered with rage. “The owner! A child like you?” she snapped. She grabbed Sakura-chan by the arm and pulled.

Sakura-san gasped and dropped her menus, starting forward to rescue her boss. Both Tsubasa and Syaoran were moving in as well, but Seishirou moved with uncanny speed. He ripped the woman’s hand off Sakura-chan and moved between them. He was still smiling, but it had gone from benign to threatening in a mere instant.

“Boss, should I escort her out?” he asked without turning to Sakura-chan.

“Yes, please, Sei-san,” she replied.

After the woman was thrown out the front door and seemed unable to get back in, the cafe staff gathered around the box. “So these are the cats?” Sakura-chan asked, looking up at Seishirou.

“Indeed.” His smile was back to being benign, but Subaru didn’t think anyone would forget how he had just thrown a woman across the entire store and out the door.

“Where did you get them?” Watanuki asked. He was trying to peek through one of the air holes, and jerked back when he got a hiss in response.

“Oh, here and there.”

“Here and there?” Tsubasa was as suspicious of Seishirou as Kamui always was, which meant he was Kamui’s favourite.

Sakura-chan didn’t seem to mind the questionable origins of the cats. “Well, please open the crate and we’ll take a look at them,” she said.

“Of course.” Seishirou pried the top of the crate off with a crowbar. Out spilled at least a dozen cats, eager to be free from the box they had been forced into.

A snarl came from the crate.

They stared.

“Is that a mountain lion?” Watanuki demanded. He backed away from the crate, hands up as if that would somehow fend it off.

“It is, technically, a cat,” Seishirou replied.

“Oh Sei-san,” Sakura-chan sighed. “I think you should put that one back.”

“All right, Boss.” If he was disappointed, it didn’t show.

The mountain lion disappeared fast. Disturbingly fast. Kamui kept looking at Seishirou like he thought Seishirou had taken it to the alley and killed it. Or set it loose in the middle of Tokyo. Subaru wasn’t entirely sure that he hadn’t.

Sakura-san returned to their table with an apologetic smile. “Sorry for the wait. Are you ready to order?” she asked. 

Subaru hadn’t even glanced at the menu. “Um.”

“I’ll have the cherry blossom tea and strawberry chiffon cake,” Kamui said, and Subaru blinked. He hadn’t thought that Kamui had looked at the menu either, but he must have because Sakura-san was smiling and taking it from him. “And you, Subaru-san?”

“I’ll have the same,” Subaru said, too embarrassed to ask her to give him another minute.

The regular house cats were running and playing through the store. Ryuu-ou sat on the floor and was immediately mauled. He laughed as he disappeared under the cloud of cats. Rather than helping him, his friend Yuzuriha was snapping photos with her cell phone and announcing that she’d show them to Souma later.

A cat hopped into Kamui’s lap as Seishirou brought their order out. “Where did you get the cats?” Kamui asked again.

Seishirou repeated his answer. “Here and there.”

“This one has a collar.” Kamui’s fingers rubbed the metal tag inscribed with the cat’s name and the phone number for its humans.

“Well, we’re only borrowing it for the day, so isn’t it fine?” Seishirou continued to smile as he set down the plates and cups, then moved on to the next customer.


	24. Sci-Fi

“Yeah, you gotta spread your weight out more. Bend your knees just a little. Like this, see?” Ryuu-ou demonstrated the proper stance again after Syaoran tumbled off the hoverboard. He sat up, rubbing his head.

“It’s harder than it looks,” he said. Sakura had long since given up. With so few of her feathers back, she didn’t have the core strength to keep the hoverboard steady and balance at the same time. That left Syaoran to practice with Ryuu-ou while Sakura and Yuzuriha were inside having ice cream.

Ryuu-ou laughed and pulled Syaoran to his feet with both hands. “You’re getting it though! When I first started it took me ages to get to the level you’ve reached in only a couple days. You’re a natural!”

Syaoran smiled. No matter what world they met in, Ryuu-ou was always a friend. He had a happy nature, a big grin, and a competitive spirit, and he was determined to get Syaoran proficient enough to enter the hoverboard race in two days. He said it was better to compete against your friends rather than strangers, because you knew how hard you had to push. And because of that, he liked having talented friends. And he saw Syaoran as talented, no matter how much Syaoran doubted it at this moment.

As for Syaoran, while he looked forward to the opportunity to compete against Ryuu-ou, his main concern was Sakura’s feather. Like with the Dragonfly Race in Piffle, one of Sakura’s feathers was to be the prize for winning the hoverboard contest. Syaoran _had_ to win.

His chances didn’t look good.

“Come on, get back on. We’ll have you in flying shape in no time,” Ryuu-ou insisted, pushing Syaoran’s shoulders until he was back on the hoverboard.

Syaoran was scraped and bruised all over, but he was determined. He watched Ryuu-ou get on his own hoverboard and rise into the air. He mimicked Ryuu-ou’s stance. The board wobbled beneath his feet. It was such a strange sensation. The board hummed as though alive, though Syaoran knew it was the electric current running through it. It didn’t have the weight and resistance of water, either, which was what kept throwing Syaoran off. He would lean too far, expecting something more solid than air. But of course, air was all there was.

He stayed upright. Hovering in place wasn’t the problem. Ryuu-ou led him in a slow circle around the empty lot where they practiced. He made it look so easy. Ryuu-ou could move in a smooth glide and change directions on a dime. He could even keep his footing when his board was tilted perpendicular to the ground. It was incredible. Syaoran had to admire his athleticism.

By the time they gave up for the day, Syaoran had improved out of sheer obstinance. He and Ryuu-ou flopped out on the grass next to the lot, exhausted. “Man, if only I had a few weeks to train you, rather than days,” Ryuu-ou lamented, scrubbing a hand through shoulder-length hair, which was damp from sweat. “You’d really be phenomenal, you know?”

Syaoran smiled with a touch of regret. “Thanks. I’m glad you think so,” he said. He needed to be good right now. Good enough to win Sakura’s feather.

If only Kurogane or Fai could compete. Kurogane was athletic and had his ninja training, so he’d master the hoverboard in no time. And Fai had proved back in the Hanshin Republic that he was well at ease in the air. Either of them would surely win. But it was a youth race, and neither man could pass for being under eighteen.

So that left it up to Syaoran.

Ryuu-ou rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin on his folded arms. “Y’know, Syaoran...” he said. His tone was hesitant, which was unusual for him. He was always brimming with confidence. “I don’t mean to discourage you or anything, but...”

Syaoran’s heart sank. He knew where this was going. “You don’t think I’m good enough to win,” he said.

“Well... no. I’ve competed every year since I was ten, y’know? And there are a LOT of really talented guys,” Ryuu-ou said. Ryuu-ou didn’t use ‘guys’ as a gendered term. Syaoran knew he was including Yuzuriha and the other female competitors under that. “And I gotta be honest. You don’t really stand a chance.”

Syaoran was silent. While he appreciated Ryuu-ou’s honesty, there was no way he could ever give up. This was for Sakura’s sake. “Thank you, but I have to try,” he said. If worst came to worst, he would just steal it from whoever did win. But he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

He could feel Ryuu-ou watching him. “You wanna win that bad, huh?” Ryuu-ou asked.

“I need that feather. It’s important,” Syaoran said. 

“Hm.” They sat in companionable silence for a moment. Then Ryuu-ou sat up. “Okay, how about this? I’ll win, and you can have the feather. I don’t care about the prize anyway. I just like the competition.”

“What?” Syaoran was shocked.

“Don’t worry.” Ryuu-ou grinned. “I can definitely, _definitely_ win. I’m really good, y’know?”

Syaoran heart beat faster. “If you could, I would appreciate it so much. Ryuu-ou, you have no idea,” he said.

Ryuu-ou’s grin broaded. “Hey, no problem! What are friends for?” He held out his fist, and Syaoran tapped it with his own. It felt good to have a backup, and he knew Ryuu-ou would keep his word if he won. But that didn’t mean Syaoran was going to slack off.

“I’m still going to try,” he said.

“Of course! I’m looking forward to wiping the floor with you!” Ryuu-ou said. And they both laughed. It felt good to laugh.


	25. Non-CLAMP Crossovers

This world was a strange one. As far as Kurogane could tell, it was a world at war. He would know - his own world had been waging war against demons for longer than he’d been alive. And yet, as he and his companions marched along the highway in search of a settlement, a number of cars passed them with apparent unconcern.

At one point at car pulled over to check on them. The woman driving hadn’t been able to give them a ride, as she had two young kids in the backseat. The kids tapped the window to get Kurogane’s attention while the mage spoke to their mother. The kids giggled and ducked down whenever Kurogane looked at them, flopped across the backseat.

“Well, Old Lestallum is down that way,” the woman told Fai, pointing in the direction they’d been walking when she stopped them. “It’ll take about two hours, I’d think, to walk there. But don’t dally. You’ll need to get there before nightfall.”

“What happens if we don’t?” the kid, _his_ kid, asked.

The woman was surprised that they didn’t already know about the demons. “They come out after dark,” she explained. “But you’ll be safe in town. Demons hate the light.”

The group thanked her and moved on as she drove away. Apparently there were also places called “havens”, or campgrounds, that were warded against demons in order to shelter travellers overnight. But the woman hadn’t been able to tell them where one might be. She recommended speaking to people at the Crow’s Nest Diner once they reached Old Lestallum. The old man who ran it would know.

Not more than twenty minutes later there was a loud roaring from overhead. Kurogane heard it first, but soon enough the others had stopped around him and were straining to listen. The rumbling grew louder. Now it was above them.

Kurogane’s hand went to the hilt of his sword, and the kid pressed his palms together in anticipation of the necessity of summoning his own weapon.

An airship like an ugly enormous flying box flew over their heads and came to a stop over the highway.

“Imperials above us!” A warning cry came from off the road. That was all the confirmation of danger that Kurogane needed to draw his sword.

Syaoran’s swords appeared in a flash between his hands, and the air around Fai began to crackle and shimmer with blue sparks. A hatch opened on the back of the airship and lumpy shapes fell out in groups of two and three.

At first Kurogane thought they were people. But no, their movements were clunky and alien, which couldn’t be contributed to their heavy armour. There was no question that they were hostile. They were armed to the teeth with swords and guns.

As the group prepared for attack, four men rode onto the road mounted on enormous yellow birds. They dismounted quickly and weapons appeared in their hands among flashes of blue light.

Since the newcomers seemed to also be against those mechanical things, Kurogane paid them no mind as he charged into battle. The enemy opened fire. Kurogane’s shoulder pulled as his artificial arm took a hit. But it was still functioning, and he sliced the opponents head off.

Rather than blood, there was a spray of sparks as the head thunked to the ground and rolled across the pavement. The body collapsed slowly, folding at the knees and then dropping the rest of the way down. As Kurogane thought, these weren’t human at all.

There was a burst of blue light, and the slim black-haired young man slammed out of nowhere and hacked into the enemy next to Kurogane. Their air rang with the sounds of battle as the others joined the fray.

Guns fired. Metal screeched across metal. The air stank with smoke and oil and sweat. The four strangers were used to fighting together, and supported each other with practiced ease.

When the last enemy fell and the airship disappeared among the clouds, the two parties eyed each other. “Thanks,” the black haired young man said after a moment.

“I got some good pictures!” the freckled blond announced, grinning and holding up a camera.

One of the men rivalled Kurogane in stature, and he looked impatient with the blond. “Now’s not the time, Prompto.” He was wearing a short sleeved jacket open over his bare chest, and the edges of a tattoo poked out from under the sleeves.

Syaoran was used to Kurogane, so some gruffness from Mr. Bare Chest wasn’t about to faze him. He smiled and held out a hand. “We should be the ones saying thank you. I’m Syaoran. What were those things?”

The black haired man clasped Syaoran’s hand briefly before dropping it. “Noctis.”

The others introduced themselves as well. Even Mokona, who had taken refuge in the mage’s collar during the fight. She got startled blinks from the strangers but no astonishment or alarm, which was telling. So this was a world of magic.

Noctis seemed to be the leader of the other group. It was subtle, but Kurogane noticed the others glancing at him for direction more than once.

The blond was Prompto, who was sheepish but not cowed by being scolded. He brightened right up when Syaoran asked about his photography, and might have shown him all the pictures then and there if Mr. Bare Chest hadn’t pulled him back by the shoulder.

Mr. Bare Chest was named Gladio, and the serious man with the glasses and gelled up hair was Ignis.

Ignis waited for the introductions to finish, and then spoke up. “We’d best get a move on, Noct, or else we won’t make it to town before dark.”

“Yeah.” Noct glanced at Ignis, then scanned their group to determine who the leader was. He settled on Syaoran. “Where’re you headed?”

“We were told that Old Lestallum was the closest town,” Syaoran replied.

“You on foot?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll accompany you. It’ll be dark soon. It would be bad to leave you here by yourselves.”

Ignis didn’t like that. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Highness.” He eyed the strangers with disapproval. Kurogane in particular seemed to draw his suspicion. Well, the mage was always saying he looked shady.

“You don’t have to, though it’s very generous of you to offer,” Fai said with his easy smile. It was polite but fake, but most people didn’t seem to notice. “We can handle ourselves.”

Noctis, who Ignis had just casually revealed to be a prince, did not look convinced. “We’ll go with you. You’re not from around here.”

It wasn’t a question. They were wearing their clothes from Clow Country, which were unlike what everyone else they’d seen in this country was wearing. That would have given them away.

“Thanks,” said Syaoran, smiling at Noctis. He got a tiny smile in return.

Noctis’ group gathered their bird-mounts from where they’d scattered during the fighting. Prompto was happy to explain that they were called chocobos, and that they’d rented them from a stand in Old Lestallum. It was a cheap mode of transportation that he highly recommended. “Plus, they’re like, super cute!”

The group of chocobo riders walked alongside them down the highway with very little regard for traffic. At least there wasn’t much, and the few cars there were disappeared entirely as the sun set.

Prompto explained that the things they had fought were magitek soldiers sent by Niflheim, who was at war with their country of Lucis. There were a lot of them in this area because Niflheim had set up a base. From the looks the others sent Prompto and the way he suddenly went quiet, Kurogane guessed that they had nefarious plans for this base.

He wondered if they’d let him help. He liked a good fight.


	26. Superheroes

“Looking good, Kuro-sama!” Fai choked back his laughter at the vicious look Kurogane sent him. But the big ninja was blushing, which was such a novelty that Fai couldn’t resist teasing him.

Especially when Kurogane was decked out in skin tight spandex.

“I get why we need to do this whole superhero gig, but is it really necessary to dress like this?” Kurogane grumbled. He kept wiggling his butt like he wasn’t used to having it on display. Fai supposed that he wasn’t.

Fai shrugged, trying to keep the mirth out of his smile. He was failing. Badly. “It can’t be helped. This is how people in the superhero profession dress in this world. Besides, Tomoyo-chan made them for us. I would hate to disappoint her.”

Kurogane grimaced. Fai knew that would get him. No matter the world or whether it was his princess or not, Kurogane had a soft spot for Tomoyo.

But all Kurogane said was, “The kids better hurry up if we’re gonna do this.”

This was one of the more hostile worlds they’d been to. Usually they could find a kindhearted soul to host them or help them find a place to stay, but they’d had no such luck here. Not only that, but no one had been willing to exchange currencies from other worlds they’d been to and this time they didn’t have anything to barter. The one saving grace was that Syaoran could read this world’s writing. He had seen an advertisement for a so-called superhero agency looking to recruit “heroes” willing to fight monsters in exchange for money. So of course they had applied.

They’d needed to pass some tests to prove they had the skills for the job. According to what they had been told, this world was plagued by giant monsters that came from the sea to wreak havoc in their cities, killing innocent civilians and causing untold damage. So a superhero was basically a monster-slayer.

Kurogane had been hyped at the thought of killing monsters, until he found out about the dress code. He had too much dignity for red tights.

Fai’s costume was similar to Kurogane’s, but blue. Honestly, he didn’t mind it. The fabric was durable, stretchy, and easy to move around in. Tomoyo’s company was in charge of providing them, and they had developed an impact and tear resistant fabric that was both lightweight and as tough as armour. Tomoyo called it a “feat of engineering,” but that was all Fai remembered of her presentation during their orientation before he fell asleep.

The other door of the little waiting area opened and Tomoyo swept through in floor-skimming magenta. It was the height of fashion, as this country favoured the bright and the bold.

“They’re ready!” she announced, sweeping a hand to the door as Syaoran and Sakura stepped through after her. “And I must say, you all look splendid! Another magnificent job by Daidouji Corp!” Tomoyo reached into a pocket of her dress and pulled out a slim digital camera. She began snapping photographs of everyone, but taking the most of Sakura.

Sakura was wearing a pink leotard with long sleeves over white tights and pink knee-high boots, while Syaoran was wearing a green and brown variation of the same skin tight suit as Fai and Kurogane. Both of them were red and the face and they avoided looking at each other. Aw, how adorable.

When Kurogane got tired of Tomoyo’s fussing and fluttering, he interrupted her. “So, how do we know when it’s time to go fight?” Because of course, he was a man of action. Sitting around waiting was against his nature, though he was disciplined enough to do it when he had to.

Tomoyo paused in getting Sakura to strike various poses for the camera. Sakura looked relieved and fled to Syaoran’s side -still not looking at him- while Tomoyo turned to Kurogane. “That’s-” she began, but that was as far as she got.

A piercing alarm split the air. Syaoran and Fai both jumped. Mokona folded her ears forward and clutched them tightly to block the noise. Sakura cried out in surprise and covered her ears.

Only Tomoyo and Kurogane remained unfazed. They gazed solemnly at each other even as red lights started to flash in time with the alarm.

Kurogane’s face stretched into an unsettling grim. It was all sharp teeth and anticipation. Fai recognized it. Kurogane always got the same look on his face when he was looking forward to a fight.

“Is that it?” Kurogane asked.

Tomoyo nodded. “Indeed. If you would please follow me.” She took them down an elevator into a parking garage. Black suited bodyguards like the ones the Tomoyo of Piffle World employed stood in a line at the ready.

As the group stepped out of the elevator, the bodyguards leapt into action. They were offered blasters, which Syaoran and Sakura both took but Fai turned down.

“It’s not really my style,” he shrugged. “I do like pole arms if you’ve got anything like that.”

They did. Tomoyo called it a laser spear. Rather than a steel blade, it was tipped with a laser blade that Tomoyo assured him could cut through almost anything. “Nice.”

Tomoyo smiled at his approval, then turned her attention to Kurogane. “And what weapon would you prefer, Kurogane-san?” she asked. Because Kurogane had refused the blaster as well.

Kurogane flashed that grin again, the one that reminded Fai of a shark. Bloodthirsty. “I’ve got my own weapon right here.” He patted the hilt of his sword, which he’d strapped around his waist as soon as he donned the skin tight garment.

Fai pursed his lips and leaned over as Tomoyo flitted off to show Syaoran and Sakura how to use the blasters. For a rich heiress, her aim was killer. “I know you prefer a sword and all,” he said. “But maybe you should take a blaster as a secondary arm, like Syaoran-kun did.”

He knew he shouldn’t, but Fai worried about his companions. And he was right. Syaoran had Hien belted around his waist just as Kurogane had Souhi.

The look Kurogane gave him was almost contempt. Fai supposed that he couldn’t be surprised. “A good sword is all I need,” Kurogane retorted, and walked over to the others, who were being loaded into some kind of armoured vehicle. Tomoyo’s driver would take them to the scene, but after that they would be on their own.

* * *

It was a giant lobster.

A _lobster_.

Syaoran and Sakura were preparing for battle as though it were something other than an edible crustacean, so Fai could only assume they had never seen one before. But he was dumbfounded.

Kurogane was just as flummoxed. He froze as soon as he got out of the van, and his jaw nearly hit the sidewalk as he beheld what they were supposed to fight.

Some of Fai’s mirth bubbled up. He couldn’t help it! The lobster was attempting to eat a tree. It held the trunk in one of its enormous claws, which admittedly did look formidable, and took curious bites out of the bark.

“That’s a lobster,” Kurogane stated after recovering enough of his wits to speak.

Syaoran and Sakura turned in surprise. “Oh, do you have those demons in your world as well?” Bless her heart, Sakura was serious. A strangled giggle escaped Fai’s throat. A desert country wouldn’t have lobsters. She couldn’t understand. But still.

Kurogane grimaced. “Yeah. In my country, we eat them.”

The kids looked amazed, and Fai couldn’t take it anymore. The laughter consumed him. He clung to the side of the van, taking great heaving gasps between bouts of laughter. It was all he could do to remain on his feet rather than roll around on the ground like Mokona was.

Kurogane sent Fai a look of pure disgust. Fai tried to pull it together, he did! But the lobster was visible over Kurogane’s shoulder. He just. Could not.

Syaoran started to pat his back. Fai felt bad for the obvious concern in the boy’s eyes, but oh, how could he explain?

While Syaoran attempted to calm Fai, Kurogane stomped off to demand information from the driver. Fai fought to reduce his laughter to wheezing in order to listen.

It wasn’t a superpowered lobster. It was not especially smart. There was nothing exceptional about it other than its great size. And its size was what made it a nuisance, and they would amble out of the sea now and then, causing property damage and attempting to eat everything in their path. The city hired heroes to deal with them because most people weren’t equipped to kill a 30 foot lobster.

Apparently they were delicious when cooked and drenched in butter.

At that, Fai lost it again.

He waved for the children to follow Kurogane, who was storming toward the monster while drawing his sword. “Off you go, children. Help Daddy catch dinner. Happy hunting!”

Fai was laughing too hard to be useful, and Sakura wasn’t great with a blaster, but she managed to blow one of its claws off. The claw nearly crushed her as it fell to the ground, but Syaoran tackled her out of the way. Then he and Kurogane brought it the rest of the way down.

The driver was right.

It was delicious.


	27. Villain's Day

As parties went, this was one of the worst Fuuma had ever attended. And that was saying something, because in one world he’d been intended as the main course.

The venue looked like a dimly-lit school gym, where one corner had been set up with tables, chairs, and snacks. It was sparsely decorated with balloons and streamers. Rather than festive, it just looked sad.

A large white banner was tacked to the wall. “Villain’s Meet,” he’d been told it said. He wouldn’t know. He couldn’t read the letters.

Fuuma leaned against the wall away from the others and watched. He knew most of the attendees by reputation, but hadn’t met them before. Fei Wang Reed and the former Ryanban of a small village argued over who was the best magician, and more than once almost came to blows. Meanwhile, Kyle and the Ryanban’s ugly son drank themselves into a stupor nearby. Both were complaining about Syaoran, which Fuuma found a little funny.

On the opposite side, in a dark corner as far from Fei Wang Reed as she could get, Xing Huo nursed her glass. Fuuma had tried to say hello to her on arrival, but was treated to an unfriendly stare. He took the hint and left her to her solitude.

Honestly, he had no interest in any of the others. Except one.

Fuuma smiled at his brother as Seishirou approached him. “Hey.”

“It’s been a while.” Seishirou smiled his fake smile and took a position leaning against the wall next to Fuuma. It was a good place to keep an eye on the others.

Fuuma nodded, because while he had no idea how much time had passed for Seishirou, it had been quite some time for him. Such was the wonder of traveling between worlds.

He took a sip of his wine, which was the best thing about this party. Whoever organized this trainwreck hadn’t skimped on the alcohol.

“I’m told this is a gathering of villains,” Seishirou commented after several minutes of companionable silence.

“Indeed.”

“I confess I’m not sure why I was invited.”

Fuuma snorted, sputtering into his wine. As soon as he could breathe again, he chuckled. “Oh, I know why you were invited, but I am an upstanding citizen!”

“Then why did you come?” Seishirou’s tone betrayed only mild curiosity. Fuuma wondered whether it was put on or genuine.

He gave an honest answer. “Curiosity.”

Seishirou nodded as if this was what he had expected. “And you can’t think why you would have received an invitation?

Interesting, Fuuma thought, how Seishirou didn’t ask what Fuuma thought Seishirou had done to deserve being considered a villain. It seemed that he was willing to accept Fuuma’s verdict on the matter.

“No.”

“Hm.” Seishirou hummed, then stole Fuuma’s glass and drained half of the wine. “I suppose we’re all villains to someone.”

“Quite,” Fuuma agreed. “Give me back my wine.”

“This is mine.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“I stole it. Get your own.”

Fuuma sighed as Seishirou wandered off to inspect the Ryanban, who was passed out on the floor after Fei Wang Reed knocked him out with a punch. Honestly. Older brothers were such a pain.


	28. Animal Family

This was unexpected.

They had moved worlds as usual in search of Sakura’s feathers. When they landed, at first they thought that everything was enormous. The trees, the rocks, the nearby stream, the rabbits-

Then they realized that the rabbits were their friends. This was closely followed by the realization that all of them were rabbits.

It was in Fai’s nature to take these things in stride, and Sakura followed his lead. After all, with most of her memories missing, she had no frame of reference for what was normal.

Kurogane, however, was offended.

“What the hell is this?” he demanded, pawing at his own black floppy ears.

Fai was flopped out on the grass with Sakura stretched out against his back, enjoying the sun. “Your ears! Silly Kuro-tan,” Fai teased. Honestly, Kurogane should be used to strange things by now, but he was always appalled by the absurd.

It was so endearing.

No, no. That wasn’t allowed. It was _funny_. That was it.

“Why are they floppy?” Kurogane gave up on trying to pull his ears off and hunched over. He had a fluffy head that lent itself well to grouchy expressions. “Nobody else has floppy ears.”

“I do,” Syaoran pointed out. At least, Fai assumed the smaller lop-eared rabbit was Syaoran. It was a bit hard to tell.

“It’s very cute,” Sakura said shyly.

As a rabbit, Syaoran couldn’t blush. But his little nose twitched rapidly. It was so cute.

Mokona was the only one unaffected. Perhaps it was because she was already rabbit-like? She scratched Fai’s head and it felt so nice. Especially right between the ears. Fai’s eyes closed in pleasure and he gave a happy little sigh. Until a sound made his ears prick up, alert.

The others froze. They heard what he heard. Soft footsteps in the underbrush, creeping ever closer. How had it gotten so close before they noticed? Fai’s ears swiveled. From the direction the footsteps were heading, the target was...

He, Kurogane, and Syaoran all burst into motion at the same instant. Fai was on his feet and covering Sakura with his body while Syaoran dove between them and the threat, his body braced for impact. And as the fox lunged into the open, jaws wide and white fangs flashing, Kurogane charged it. He kicked out with his powerful rear legs and sent the fox sprawling in the grass.

Fai didn’t know rabbits could make noises, let alone the type of sound Kurogane was making. It was a mix of a shriek and a roar, and it made his fur stand on end and his rabbit heart thunder in terror.

The fox struggled to its feet, and Kurogane went for it again. With a panicked yip, the fox turned tail and fled. Kurogane pursued, and Fai lost sight of him in the bushes.

Sakura wiggled out from under him, and she and Syaoran pressed against Fai’s side as they listened to the crash of bodies racing through the underbrush. Then silence.

They waited. None of them spoke or moved. Not even Mokona, who was trembling and pressed to Fai’s other side. Fai could feel all their racing hearts, and wished he could comfort them. Surely Kurogane would be all right. He was so tough. Even as a rabbit.

But he was scared.

When Kurogane’s scruffy black head popped out from under a fallen log, shortly followed by the rest of him, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Fai felt almost faint. Kurogane was okay.

Sakura pulled away from Fai and darted over to Kurogane. “Are you hurt, Kurogane-san?” she asked. She was already nosing him to check for injuries, too stressed to fight the rabbit instincts.

“I’m fine,” Kurgoane huffed at the attention, but Fai thought he was secretly pleased.

Fai flopped over onto the grass with an air of unconcern, but really his legs were shaking too much to hold him and he didn’t want the others to know. Kurogane had a habit of hiding injuries so that he wouldn’t worry the kids, but he had both Sakura and Syaoran poking him with their noses now. If there was blood, one of them would notice. But he would check on Kurogane to make sure that he really was okay later.


	29. Hitsuzen

It was fate that brought them together.

That’s what Yuuko said. That it was hitsuzen. Inevitable. Syaoran would have come from his world to Clow Country no matter what. They were destined for each other.

Sakura wondered about that.

After all, wasn’t she the key to Fei Wang Reed’s plans? It was her power that was needed to break the logic of the world, and her body that needed to be inscribed with the memories of many dimensions. If Syaoran did not exist in her country or her world, why was it necessary to drag him from another world in order to be part of Fei Wang’s plan?

Neither the Witch of Dimensions or Fei Wang Reed were here to ask anymore, so she would have to continue to wonder.

But Sakura truly and completely believed that no other person would have been as dedicated, would have fought as hard for her sake. No one, save Syaoran’s clone, who had fought equally as hard for his own Sakura, and later for his son.

If Sakura had to believe that it was fate that brought them together, then she would believe that it would bring them together once again. And again and again and again. Until her beloved’s long journey finally came to an end and he returned to her for good.

It would happen. She believed it with her whole heart. After all, fate had brought them together, and Syaoran’s guts and determination saved her.There was no way they could go through so much only to lose each other forever.

And if fate decreed their separation was meant to be permanent, well, they’d fight fate together.

After all, Yuuko had said that people’s wishes were always stronger than fate.


	30. Favourite World

The city surrounding them was immediately recognizable. There was no mistaking the energy and vibrance of the Hanshin Republic, where both the people and the scenery were loud.

“Wow, this brings back memories,” Fai said with a sigh. Back to the beginning. The very first world on their journey. So much had changed since then. It was nostalgic, but melancholy too.

“I wonder if Sorata and Arashi would let us stay with them again?” Mokona asked, climbing up to perch on top of Fai’s head.

Even if they wouldn’t, it seemed rude to be in their world and not say hello. They still remembered where Sorata and Arashi’s apartment complex was, so they walked through the busy streets until they found it.

Syaoran knocked on the door, heart pounding. He wasn’t the Syaoran who had been here before. And yet he had all the memories of his previous self up until the events in Tokyo.

He was prepared to explain. He was not prepared for Sorata to beam at the sight of him and pull him into a tight hug.

“You’re back! How’s it going? Where’s Sakura-san?” he asked with enthusiasm. He pulled away in concern when Syaoran flinched.

“Well, a lot of stuff happened,” Fai said. He laid a gentle hand on Syaoran’s shoulder. “Is it okay for us to come in?”

* * *

“I see...” Sorata said. They were gathered in the small sitting area, grouped in a circle with mugs of tea. “I’m not sure I understand everything, but you’re a different Syaoran than the one we met before?”

“Yes.” Syaoran stared at his blurry reflection in his tea. If only the other Syaoran could be here. He would be delighted to see his old friends again.

Sorata rubbed his jaw, considering. “Well, I wouldn’t call it a happy ending.” He crossed his arms over his chest. He was sad to learn of the fates of the other Syaoran and the other Sakura, Syaoran could tell. “But you’ve survived such a perilous quest and saved your princess. You really did your best!”

Syaoran smiled, but he wasn’t convinced. He should have done better, should have found a way to save the other Syaoran and the other Sakura.

Well, he would keep looking. Someday he would find one. They weren’t dead, so they could be saved.

“That you’ve returned here to the Hanshin Republic is a cause for celebration,” Sorata was saying. “You won’t find cooking as good as my honey’s anywhere else. But you also can’t get okonomiyaki like in the Hanshin Republic anywhere else. It’s a tough decision.”

He did look troubled, so much so that Fai stifled a laugh. Kurogane caught Syaoran’s eye and rolled his toward the ceiling. Syaoran found himself smiling. Sorata was so optimistic and passionate. They were admirable qualities, even if they did make Sorata look silly at times.

Arashi, quiet up until now, spoke up. “Perhaps okonomiyaki would be best. That way we can invite other friends as well, like Shougo-san and Masayoshi-kun.” Her expression never changed, which was unnerving. But Syaoran knew that she was kind.

And despite her expression never wavering, she still managed to convey annoyance when Sorata flung his arms around her and gushed, “What a great idea! You hear that? My wife is the most lovely and brilliant. I’ll call the others right now!” And he darted off to the phone.

Arashi remained where she was with her hands folded in her lap. But her eyes sought Syaoran’s. “I hope you’re all right with that. The others will want to know what’s happened.”

Syaoran straightened his spine. “Of course. It will be good to see them.” He was aware that Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona were watching him. Their worry warmed his heart, but he would be okay. It would be so easy to pretend to be the other Syaoran to the friends that the other Syaoran made here to save himself the burden of bearing bad news. But it wouldn’t be right, and he couldn’t stand the thought of doing it. Clone or not, the other Syaoran was real. He existed. And Syaoran was the last person who would want him to be erased.

* * *

As parties went, this one was raucous but not quite as wild as the one in Piffle. Of course, that might be because of Touya keeping a stern eye on everyone to make sure they behaved while he fetched food and drinks.

Syaoran expected to be the one to tell the story, but the others took their turns as well. After all, he realized, it wasn’t his story alone. Fai sat next to Syaoran in the booth and kept his arm around Syaoran’s shoulders. Syaoran drew strength and comfort from the contact, and found that he was able to cry, laugh, and joke with the others. And there were tears.

Shougo was a good person for all that he was a troublemaker. He wiped tears from his eyes with his scarf, and after a brief silence of mourning for the other Syaoran, the first thing Shougo asked was whether he was as good in a fight as his counterpart. Syaoran was startled into laughter, but Primera was not impressed.

“Honestly, is fighting the only thing you think about?” she complained, leaning over the back of the other booth to pout at him.

“Hey, hey. No picking fights with our guests, even for fun,” Sorata scolded. “They only just got here. Let them settle in.”

More chastised by Sorata than by Primera, Shougo let the subject drop.

“What’s up?” he asked, noticing Syaoran looking around.

“It’s just that I haven’t seen Masayoshi-kun,” Syaoran said. Masayoshi had been the other Syaoran’s good friend, and he wanted to meet him.

Shougo twisted around in the booth. He had squished himself next to Kurogane. “He was here... maybe he’s being shy again. Oi! Masayoshi! Get over here!”

Sure enough, Masayoshi appeared through the crowd of Shougo’s friends and Primera’s fans. His faced was flushed and he grinned shyly when his eyes met Syaoran’s. “Hi, nice to meet you,” he said once he reached the table, and he bowed to Syaoran. “It’s good to see Fai-san and Kurogane-san again as well.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Syaoran said, smiling warmly at Masayoshi. “When I was watching through the other me, I thought that you seemed like a kind person. I’m glad that I got to meet you myself.”

Masayoshi blushed with embarrassed pleasure and wiped moisture from his eyes with his arm. “Thank you! I was looking forward to showing Syaoran-kun how much I’ve improved, but...”

Syaoran smiled. “I’d love to see it, if you don’t mind.”

Masayoshi’s face lit up. “Okay!”

* * *

It was in the early hours of the morning by the time they got back to the apartment complex and collapsed on their futons. As had become typical, Fai and Kurogane slept wrapped around each other. When Syaoran laid down, Mokona tucked herself next to him on the pillow. He fell asleep with her warm weight against his cheek and dreamed of fire.

The flames blazed around him and from its centre emerged a wolf with a horn protruding from its forehead. Syaoran recognized it. It was the kudan that had belonged to the other Syaoran. When it spoke to him, its voice was the crackle of flames.

“We have met before. And yet we have not.”

“That’s right,” Syaoran replied.

“I am the master of those who utilize flame. In the past, one that was like you made a contract with me. Your heart is as strong. Do you also wish to use my power?”

“If you will allow me.”

“Very well.” The wolf dissolved back into formless flames, which pushed into Syaoran’s chest.

Syaoran woke with his chest suffused with heat. The burning slowly faded into a more bearable warmth as he sat up and focused his breathing. Syaoran pressed a fist to his chest and smiled. It seemed he would be able to give Shougo the match he wanted after all.


	31. Goodbyes

Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

Kurogane huffed. Yet another goodbye. And when they arrived in a new world, it would be another hello. It wore on a person. And if it was beginning to affect him so much, he knew the kid, the mage, and the meatbun would have it worse. He was, after all, the least sociable of their party. The one who got least attached. He had those he loved, but they were few. His three companions, the princess, Tomoyo. The other kid and the other princess, who he hadn’t gotten to say a proper goodbye to.

He could put an end to it. The next time they went to Japan, he could leave the group and stay at Shirasaki Castle with Tomoyo. Go back to his life as a ninja in her employ. But he never toyed with the idea for long.

Tomoyo was important. She was the one there in his darkest days. She was the one who knew him down to his bones, to the very core of his self that made him Kurogane. And she would know that no matter how many times he said goodbye, he would find his way to her again. No matter how many worlds he crossed through in the meantime. But she didn’t need him. She had her sister, and Souma, and hundreds of other ninja. None of them as good as Kurogane, but good enough to look out for Tomoyo.

But the kid needed him. And yeah, he’d still have Fai even if Kurogane left. But that guy wasn’t reliable. What if he reverted back to old habits and Kurogane wasn’t here to snap him out of it? And Mokona was too small to be helpful when things got violent.

Besides, he’d miss them if he left.

So while he’d keep saying goodbye to everyone else, his friends were stuck with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that brings an end to this Tsubasa Chronicle Month. Thank you to everyone who has read this far, and thanks especially to those of you who have left comments. I'm always surprised and delighted by them. <3


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